Russian Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov (background center) speaks at the annual meeting of the Caspian Sea littoral states foreign ministers in Moscow, Russia, on Dec 5, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

TEHRAN - Iran and Russia on Tuesday signed a joint declaration on cooperation to counter sanctions and reduce the unilateral coercive measures' negative impacts, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported.

The declaration was signed by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov following an annual ministerial meeting of the five Caspian Sea littoral states, namely Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan, in the Russian capital Moscow, according to the report.

Russian Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov speaks at the annual meeting of the Caspian Sea littoral states foreign ministers in Moscow, Russia, on Dec 5, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

After signing the declaration, the two ministers held talks on the expansion of bilateral relations, IRNA added.

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During their meeting, Lavrov described the move as an "important step in increasing coordinated efforts by the global community's members to overcome illegal sanctions, which the United States and its allies use as a substitute for diplomacy."

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian speaks at the annual meeting of the Caspian Sea littoral states foreign ministers in Moscow, Russia, on Dec 5, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

Lavrov stressed that Moscow and Tehran were determined to promote bilateral relations.

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Iran and Russia, both being sanctioned by the United States, have recently expanded bilateral political and economic relations to counter the US moves.