MOSCOW, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Neither Moscow nor Kiev is seeking to revise an agreement on the deployment of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, Russian news agencies quoted the two countries' top diplomats as saying on Friday.

    The Black Sea Fleet uses a range of naval facilities in the Crimea, including the base in Sevastopol, under a 1997 lease agreement.

    "Moscow is not proposing to revise the basic agreements on the Black Sea Fleet. We did not hear similar suggestions from the Ukrainian side, either," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko.

    "I would like to assure you that neither Kiev nor Moscow wants a revision of fundamental agreements on the Black Sea Fleet," Poroshenko said.

    All issues concerning the presence of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol will be solved only through direct dialogues, Poroshenko told reporter after talks with Lavrov.

    The recently appointed Ukrainian foreign minister described his first meeting with Lavrov as productive and fruitful.

    "We demonstrated common approaches to an absolute majority of issues, as well as our willingness to resolve these issues and to step up our cooperation," Poroshenko said.

    Ties between the two former Soviet neighbors were strained in recent years due to an array of rows, including the fleet issue, gas price disputes and Kiev's bid for NATO membership.

    Russia has maintained its Black Sea fleet base in Sevastopol since the 1991 Soviet disintegration and the current lease agreement expires in 2017.

    Ukrainian officials have repeatedly called on the fleet to leave Sevastopol when the treaty expires, although Russia hopes to extend the lease.