Russian leader urges Iran to cooperate in nuclear dispute

Iran Focus: London, Jun. 15 – Russian President Vladimir Putin urged Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday to cooperate in the standoff over its nuclear program. Iran Focus

London, Jun. 15 – Russian President Vladimir Putin urged Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday to cooperate in the standoff over its nuclear program.

The Russian President told Ahmadinejad that Tehran must allay the world’s concerns over the issue, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported.

The pair met in Shanghai on the sidelines of an annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Iran currently holds observer status at the SCO.

Putin said that Tehran had a right to develop nuclear energy programs if the international community’s concerns were allayed.

“We are probably the only country that proactively and openly cooperates with Iran in nuclear energy and completely honours its commitments”, Putin said.

He called on the hard-line Iranian president to express his position on a package of incentives that the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany had offered it in exchange for it to suspend uranium enrichment.

“We would like to hear your opinion on the incentives”, Putin said.

Iran’s official news agency said that the two presidents discussed major bilateral, regional, and international issues during their meeting which lasted more than an hour.