In this handout photo released by the Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks to the media after the G20 foreign minister's meeting in New Delhi, India, Thursday, March 2, 2023

Sergey Lavrov, the foreign minister of Russia, stated on Monday that improving ties with Muslim countries was a top priority for Moscow in light of the shared perspectives on political and socioeconomic issues.

Lavrov had attended a meeting of the Russia-Islamic World Strategic Vision Group with ambassadors from OIC member states earlier today.

"Russia … maintains good, honest, and mutually respectful relations with the countries of the Islamic world. Their further strengthening is among the constant priorities of Russian foreign policy. We are united by our commitment to the cultural and civilizational diversity of the peoples of the planet and their right to determine their own paths of political, social, and economic development," Lavrov said.

Russia and Muslim countries, according to Lavrov, support the creation of a multipolar world that is more just and democratic according to the tenets of the UN charter.

The parties also share their disapproval of "the ultra-liberal values that the collective West has aggressively imposed," the Russian minister added.

Also in his speech, Lavrov announced a scheduled conference of the "Russia - Islamic World: Kazanforum" in Late may, which would serve as an international forum for economic cooperation.

The minister hoped that OIC ambassadors would inform their leaders about the upcoming event to optimize the outcomes of the conference.

Earlier in February, it was reported that Russia and Bahrain are considering bolstering economic ties by establishing a grain and gas hub in the Gulf state, in addition to a Russian vaccine manufacturing plant.

The Russian Ministry of Industry had already discussed creating a grain hub in Bahrain a few years back, however, the proposal was never executed.

Additionally, it was also announced back in February that all Russian banks nationally and abroad have access to SPFS (the Russian version of the SWIFT financial transfer system), and 106 foreign banks in 13 other countries are now connected to SEPAM (Iran's local interbank telecom system).