TEHRAN -- Iran and Russia called for a boost to their comprehensive ties to benefit both countries, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said in a Thursday statement on his meeting with the visiting Russian foreign minister.

Raisi told Sergei Lavrov that continuous meetings and talks between the officials of Iran and Russia are a sign of serious will on both sides to shape a new era of bilateral "strategic cooperation," particularly in the economic field, said the statement issued by the presidential website. (Iran-Russia-Boost-Ties)

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TEHRAN -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Thursday expressed hope for the nuclear talks in Vienna to resume "in the near future," state TV reported.

"I hope the talks will resume in the near future" to rescue the Iranian nuclear pact, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Amir-Abdollahian told a televised joint press conference with his visiting Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. (Iran-Nuclear Talks-Resume)

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TRIPOLI -- The head of Libya's Tripoli-based High Council of State and the speaker of the House of Representatives have agreed to meet in Geneva next Tuesday to discuss a constitutional framework toward elections, Stephanie Williams, UN secretary-general's special adviser on Libya, said Thursday.

At her invitation, Khaled al-Meshri and Aguila Saleh agreed to meet on June 28-29 at the UN Office in Geneva to "seek consensus on the remaining issue" of a draft constitution, she tweeted. (Libya-Parliament Leaders-Meeting)

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ANKARA -- Turkey and Israel have started work to appoint ambassadors as part of efforts to normalize ties, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday.

"We have started work for upgrading the diplomatic representation to the level of ambassadors," Cavusoglu said at a joint press conference with his visiting Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid in Turkey's capital Ankara. (Turkey-Israel-Ambassadors-Appointment)