Russia to expand ties with Iran

["Ulhas Joglekar" <joglekarulhas@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

The Hindu

Saturday, Apr 06, 2002

Russia to expand ties with Iran

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW APRIL 5. Russia reasserted its resolve to expand economic and
military ties with Iran despite U. S. objections.
The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, received the visiting Iranian Foreign
Minister, Kamal Kharazi, in a demonstration of importance Moscow attaches to
relations with Teheran.
Mr. Kharazi, who arrived in Moscow on Thursday, had been due to visit here
in February but the visit was put off. Washington has branded Iran as part
of an "axis of evil'' along with Iraq and North Korea, and has accused
Russia of supplying Teheran missile and nuclear technologies.
The Russian Defence Minister, Sergei Ivanov, has strongly denied the
charges, describing them as "nothing but a myth.'' ``Nobody has ever
presented us with any facts to prove these allegations and we know such
facts will never be given because there are none,'' he said on Thursday,
reiterating that Russia would continue selling conventional weapons to
Teheran.
By according top-level treatment to Mr. Kharazi, Russia has sent a clear
signal to the world that it is not going to give in to American pressure.
A spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said Moscow was anxious to give
a "political impulse'' to talks with Iran on "a number of major projects in
power generation, aircraft building and transport''.
Russia is building a nuclear reactor at the Bushehr power plant in Iran and
the sides are discussing plans for the supply of a second reactor.
Russia also hopes to win contracts for the construction of thermal power
stations in Iran.
Last year, the two countries signed a long-term military cooperation accord
which can make Iran the third biggest buyer of Russian armoury after India
and China.
Russian-Iranian trade surged from $600 million in 2000 to nearly $1 billion
last year.

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