Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) meets with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani in Tehran, Iran November 1, 2017. (Reuters Photo)

TEHRAN, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Putin on Wednesday described Iran as "a strategic partner" and a "great neighbor," stressing that Russia welcomes expansion of bilateral relations.

Also, Putin hailed Iran-Russia cooperation in the war against terrorism in Syria, calling for "a suitable political process to be considered in the Arab country."

"We proved to the world that we are able to resolve our region's highly important issues without (any help from) extra-regional countries," he said.

Putin is visiting Iran to attend the tripartite summit of Iran, Russia and Azerbaijan.