Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with his counterparts from Iran, Turkey and Lebanon ahead of the United Nations Security Council meeting due to discuss the Middle East, the Russian foreign ministry said according to Reuters.

The bilateral meetings focused on the Gaza Strip, Syria and “the tense situation” in the Red Sea, the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app.

The meetings took place in New York yesterday.

The ministry said Lavrov and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian agreed on the need for a swift ceasefire in Gaza and conditions for providing humanitarian assistance to civilians.

“General concern was expressed about the tense situation in the Red Sea, which has sharply degraded,” it said.

Lavrov and Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib talked about the importance of collective efforts of countries in the region toward an immediate ceasefire, the ministry said.