Ahmadinejad Calls Bushehr N. Power Plant "Symbol of Iran- Russia Ties"

Ahmadinejad Calls Bushehr N. Power Plant "Symbol of Iran- Russia Ties"

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stressed the necessity for the further expansion of Iran-Russia ties given the current changes in the global economy and politics, and lauded the construction of the Bushehr nuclear power plant as a symbol of the two countries' cooperation.


Russia's role in the construction of the nuclear plant in Bushehr not only marks the good relations between the two countries, but also signals to the world community Iran's intensions to build nothing but a nuclear power plant, President Ahmadinejad told Russia Today.

"Iran and Russia are neighbors at least in terms of geography. This is something that cannot be changed," Ahmadinejad stated, adding, "Earlier I had very productive talks with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin besides negotiations with President Medvedev. I hope we can extend our relations, specially considering the current changes in the global economy and politics. Iran and Russia could offer joint solutions to the current international problems."

As regards the upcoming inauguration of Iran's first nuclear power plant, Ahmadinejad said, "I have already talked to President Dmitri Medvedev, who told me there is no obstacle to the plant launching its operations at the scheduled time."

The Iranian president announced that the plant is now in inauguration phase and is expected to be fully operational by the end of this year.

An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman had earlier announced that Iran's first nuclear power plant would join the national power grid by the end of August.

"We hope that the Bushehr power plant would become operational by the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan (late August)," Ramin Mehman-Parast said in his weekly press conference here in Tehran earlier this year.

Mehman-Parast added that construction phase of the plant "have almost become completed and it is currently in the testing stage".

"Iranians would, by that time (late August), officially celebrate" the operation of the Bushehr power plant.

Iran signed a deal with Russia in 1995, according to which the plant was originally scheduled for completion in 1999. However, the project was repeatedly delayed by the Russian side due to the intense pressure exerted on Moscow by the United States and its western allies. Russia finally completed construction of the plant last summer.

On October 26, Iran started injecting fuel into the core of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in the initial phase of launching the nuclear reactor.

The facility operates under the full supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).