Leaders at the Russian Defense Ministry and the Pentagon have agreed to restore military contacts and continue consultations, Russia’s military officials said in a statement.

Russia’s Minster of Defense Sergey Shoigu and his US counterpart Ashton Carter talked by phone on Friday to discuss the situation in the Middle East and the Syrian crisis, among other issues. They agreed to restore contacts between the ministries.

“The ministers noted the restoration of military-to-military contacts and agreed to continue consultations,” spokesperson for the Russian Defense Ministry, Igor Konashenkov, said.

The “detailed” discussion that lasted over an hour revealed that Moscow’s and Washington’s views “are close or coincide” on most of the issues considered, Konashenkov added.

The ministers also talked on the need to coordinate “bilateral and multilateral efforts to combat global terrorism”.

It was the first contact between the ministries since last August, as the relations between Russia and the US remain soured by the conflict in Ukraine.