By NNN-IRNA
Tehran : Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said here Tuesday that Tehran welcomes expansion of ties with Moscow and believes that the move will benefit both governments and nations.
Ayatollah Khamenei made the remark when he received President Vladimir Putin of Russia.
Expressing regret over the low level of bilateral economic cooperation, Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated, “As presence of an independent Iran benefits Russia, presence of a powerful Russia would benefit Tehran.”
The Iranian nation powerfully and wisely moves on the basis of “the logic of resistance in defending national interests” since it believes that there is no limit to the acquisitiveness of the enemies, the Supreme Leader told Putin.
The Iranian people have a clear and good image of the Russian nation, he said stressing that such an image comes from resistance and prudence shown by the Russian people at various junctures.
As to the US expansionist policies, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “Washington is against any nation which resists its illegitimate interests and wants to act independently, but nations can not be defeated by such policies.”
On the continuous US threats against Iran during the past three decades since the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the Supreme Leader stressed that Washington has spared no effort to strike the Iranian nation but its adventurism has backfired.
Voicing Iran’s readiness for full confidence-building, he reiterated, “Iran’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is a logical and proper policy which will be continued. Tehran is determined to become self-sufficient in the area of nuclear energy, therefore it seriously pursues the issue of enrichment.”
At the end of his meeting with President Putin, the Supreme Leader said, “We will consider your remarks and proposals.”
For his part, the Russian president assessed his meeting with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as “serious and good” saying that expansion of all-out relations between the two countries particularly in the areas of energy and transportation were reviewed in the compact meeting.
The Russian president referred to the prospect of Tehran-Moscow relations as very bright.
President Putin said that interests of the Russian nation rest in a powerful and effective Iran at the international arena.
Moscow considers no restriction in its cooperation with Tehran and undoubtedly will continue its path, President Putin reiterated.
Russia respects Iran’s stand regarding nuclear energy and believes that pursuance of peaceful nuclear energy is Iran’s legitimate right while it is against any kind of imposition against Tehran,” he stated.
Welcoming Iran’s cooperation with the IAEA, Putin announced his country’s support for such initiatives by Iran.