MOSCOW, December 29 (Itar-Tass) — Any attempts to turn the situation around Iran’s nuclear problem to direct confrontation are unacceptable, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
In an article, “International Relations in a Zone of Turbulence – Where are the Standing Points?”, in the Foreign Ministry’s yearbook on Thursday, Lavrov said, “As practice shows, pressure and unilateral sanctions cannot be a panacea and these means only hamper the search for solution. While settling conflicts, it is necessary to involve in cooperation and not isolate certain countries.”
“We are guided by this principle in our approach towards Iran’s nuclear programme. For us any attempts to turn the situation to direct confrontation with new sanctions and threats to use force are unacceptable.” “We are convinced that we will be able to find a mutually advantageous solution only through dialogue, by ensuring the nuclear non-proliferation regime and respecting the rights and obligations of member-countries of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. We want Iran to fully cooperate with the IAEA in order to restore the international community’s trust to the peaceful Iran’s nuclear programme,” the Russian minister stressed.
Lavrov noted, “A priority task is to prevent from undermining the non-proliferation regime.” “Moscow supports the universal character of the NPT and coming into effect of the CTBT. Being one of the key initiators to convene the 2012 Conference on WMD-Free Zone in the Middle East, Russia will continue to work actively to prepare this important forum,” he said.
“We intend to contribute to promoting other regional initiatives on security, including support for the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone Treaty, and ensuring security in the Persian Gulf,” Lavrov pointed out.