Iran, Russia plans to build more nuclear plants
By Sara Rajabova
Iranian and Russian officials have discussed issues of mutual interest in Iran on December 11, during Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's visit to the country.
Speaking at the press conference after meeting with Lavrov, Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Iran and Russia are close to signing an agreement to build more nuclear power plants in Iran,.
Lavrov, for his part, said Russia is interested in cooperation with Iran in the sphere of peaceful nuclear energy and building nuclear power plants similar to the Bushehr plant, which works on light water power reactors.
Iran's only Bushehr nuclear power plant came into service September 2011 and began operating at full capacity a year after. Moscow handed over operational control of the Russian-made plant to Iran in September of 2013.
However, Iran rejected Russia's proposal to supply the country with S-300VM "Antey-2500" anti-ballistic missile system, instead of the promised S-300 system.
Zarif said Iran insisted on getting the S-300 system, and the negotiations on this issue still continue.
A contract inked in 2007 requires Russia to provide Iran with at least five S-300 missile defense systems.
However, Moscow refrained from meeting its obligations under the pretext that they were covered by the fourth round of the UN Security Council resolutions against Iran.
Lavrov also said Moscow has highlighted the great prospects of bilateral cooperation between Russia and Iran and considers it necessary to resume the work of the intergovernmental commission on trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation.
"We see good prospects for increasing bilateral economic cooperation and we have agreed to speed up resumption of the work of the intergovernmental commission on trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation. The co-chairs from the Russian and Iranian sides have been determined. We consider it necessary that they meet as soon as possible and discuss the timing and content of the full meeting of the intergovernmental commission that must determine the short-term and long-term directions of our interaction," Lavrov said.
Lavrov said the energy ministries and ministries of economy of the two countries are holding meetings dedicated to concrete issues of development of cooperation.