Ukrainian foreign minister says he discussed keeping tension low with Iranian counterpart

Sept 23 (Reuters) Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Wednesday he discussed ways of keeping tension in check at a ​meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas ‌Araqchi. Sybiha said on X the meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York was a follow-up to a telephone conversation the two held ‌in ​July. In more than 4-1/2 years ⁠of conflict with Russia, ⁠Ukraine has faced barrages of Iranian-designed drones. Kyiv has over that time developed technology to counter drone threats and offered its assistance ​to Middle Eastern countries facing strikes by Tehran. Diplomacy is about direct conversation, even in ⁠challenging circumstances, Sybiha wrote. Our conversation ⁠focused on mutual steps to prevent ​further aggravation of tensions between our countries. We ​agreed to keep existing channels of communication open. Sybiha ‌said the two ministers exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East and Europe as well as various tracks of ongoing peace ef