MOSCOW, August 10 (Itar-Tass) — Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi will make a working visit to Moscow on August 16-17, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported on Wednesday.
“Salehi is planning to have talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. During the talks, the parties will discuss a wide range of issues, the development of bilateral relations, key regional and international issues, including Iran’s nuclear programme,” the ministry said.
Earlier, Salehi said the Iranian national nuclear program has reached a stage of development where it cannot be stopped.
“It’s important to understand that Iran has reached a stage in its nuclear program where where there is not stopping or turning back, since the Iranian nuclear technologies have already crossed these boundaries,” Salehi said in an interview with the Arabic-language satellite channel Rusiya Al-Yaum.
According to Salehi, nuclear technologies have become an integral element of the general industry in Iran and have penetrated all the corners of the country.
“How can the West or the whole world stop the enrichment of uranium /in Iran/ after we’ve trained and educated thousands of nuclear researchers?” he asked with a somewhat rhetoric note. “This has become a fact of reality.” Salehi indicated along with it that there is no limit to discussions, dialogue or negotiations in the future as regards the nation’s plans in the field of nuclear energy.
“We consider this to be a trial test for ourselves, for our patience and tolerance, as no threats and no pressures will be capable of jolting our sovereignty or independence,” he said. “We’re ready to pay any price and to go through anything.”
Salehi also said that a nuclear reactor in the city of Arak in central Iran will be launched into operation in three or four years’ time. It will have an output capacity for 45 megaWatt of electricity.
As for the nuclear plant in Bushehr that has been built with Russia’s assistance, it will start working in the trial output mode shortly and the electricity it will produced will be transmitted to the national power grids.
“Russia is a crucial neighbor for Iran,” Salehi said, adding that the two countries need each other.
He added that Russia might have apprehensions about the possibility of Iran’s return to the realm of Western influence but he assured that this will never happen.
“I feel very optimistic about the prospects for Russian-Iranian relations,” Salehi said.