CAIRO, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Arab League (AL) Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit on Tuesday received a phone call from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the recent developments in the Middle East, AL said in a statement.

The two sides discussed means of developing the ongoing institutional cooperation between Russia and AL, said the AL spokesperson Mahmoud Afifi.

Their talks also tackled the procedures and arrangements for promoting the Arab-Russian cooperation.

The Arab-Russian Cooperation Forum will be held at the ministerial level in Russia in mid-April.

The two officials also discussed the Arab and regional issues of common concern, especially settling the Palestinian cause and the international efforts for dealing with the Syrian crisis and the Iranian role in the region, the statement added.