According to press service of the Iranian president, during a meeting with Russian Federation Council (upper chamber of the parliament) Speaker Sergei Mironov, who visited Iran on December 11-12, Mr. Khatami praised the Russian position, which supports the right of Iran to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, and said "the exchange of opinions between Moscow and Tehran on the issues of nuclear energy is positive."
"The political pressure applied on Iran by the United States has always been an obstacle on the way of the settlement of the Iranian nuclear program issue. Even today, when Iran has been cleared of accusations in regard to its nuclear programs, the U.S. continues the unjust attempts to influence the IAEA leadership," the Iranian President said.
He stressed that "Tehran has interrupted the implementation of its nuclear programs as a gesture of goodwill and expects that the European Union will observe its obligations and create conditions for the use of nuclear technologies for peaceful purposes."
Mr. Khatami also stated that "the relations between Russia and Iran might contribute to peace and security in the Caucasus region and Central Asia, the areas that are important to the Islamic republic of Iran."
"After accomplishing the task of establishing security in Afghanistan, Russia and Iran stand for stability in the Caucasus region and will not allow foreign interference in the regional affairs," the Iranian president emphasized.
He stated "Moscow and Tehran stand against unilateral policies and terrorism. We support the joint struggle against this evil and consider double-standard policies in the fight against terrorism unacceptable."
Speaking about problems in the Caspian Sea region, Mr. Khatami underlined that "this region is shared by five nations (Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan) and nobody else has the right to interfere in the regional affairs."
The Iranian president stressed upon the necessity to reach understanding among neighboring countries in the Caspian Sea region to establish the legal status of the region. "Considering the status and the role of Russia in the region, we expect that the Russian Federation will make all possible efforts to find the final solution of the problem while respecting the interests of all members of the Caspian family."
