Russia is determined to continue its cooperation with Iran in the nuclear industry, Mr. Lavrov said. But the prospects and the scale of that cooperation will depend on Tehran's fulfillment of its obligations to the International Atomic Energy Agency, he stressed. Another factor to determine Russo-Iranian nuclear cooperation in the years ahead will be Russia's decision as to the possibility of accepting the Bushehr plant's nuclear waste for storage, said the minister.
Mr. Lavrov said officials in Moscow were pleased with how Russo-Iranian cooperation was developing. "Iran is a neighbor and a traditional partner of ours. Our two countries are interested in developing political dialogue and cooperating in a variety of areas," he said.
The Russian Foreign Minister then went on to recall his Iranian counterpart's latest official visit to Russia, during which the sides had agreed to strengthen their economic ties, including through the implementation of the Agreement on the International Transportation Corridor North-South and through cooperation in power engineering and aviation.
