President: Tehran, Moscow Should Stay Close to Each Other

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in a meeting with a visiting Russian senior official, said that the two countries should stay next to each other in many international and regional issues.

According to the report of Presidential Office website, President Ahmadinejad, in a meeting with Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev here on Tuesday afternoon, by referring to importance of planning for taking suitable ways to expand bilateral ties, said that Tehran and Moscow have various fields for cooperation, especially in the fields of transportation, energy, and joint investment. He stressed that all these capacities could be activated in direction of both nations' interests.

'Of course expanding bilateral cooperation requires positive steps in practice and commissioning Bushehr power plant could be an effective one in this concern,' the president stressed.

On international affairs, Ahmadinejad said that existing developments make Tehran-Moscow cooperation more necessary.

Confrontation with US dollar hegemony is among issues for bilateral cooperation, the president told his Russian visitor, adding that Tehran and Moscow can have useful cooperation in ending dependence on US dollar.

The president pointed out that deepening and strengthening ties between Iran and Russia can make a powerful axis which could be effective in securing regional countries' interests, if existing capacities are used appropriately.

Referring to Iran's nuclear issue, the president said that Iran would welcome Russian initiative clalled step by step plan and is ready to participate in making proposals for cooperation and interaction in this concern.

Patrushev, for his part, underlined using all opportunities and existing capacities between the two countries and added that Iran-Russia relations, after recent meeting between the two presidents in Kazakhstan, have jumped up and that Russia intends to increase existing cooperation in economic, transportation, communication and nuclear issue.

He said that Russia is ready to do its share completely in promotion of bilateral ties level and commissioning Bushehr power plant.

Referring to Iran's nuclear issue, Patrushev, by underlining the necessity of settling the issue upon mutual understanding and dialogue, stressed that in Russia's proposed step by step policy, statements of the Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution and President Ahmadinejad have very important place.

Source: IRNA