Putin to Hold Talks with Ahmadinejad

Russian President Vladimir Putin will next week meet with his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad prior to an international round of talks on Iran’s nuclear program in Moscow, a presidential aide said on Sunday.

The meeting will allow Putin to “feel the heat surrounding the Iranian problem and see how this issue is perceived in Tehran,” said Yuri Ushakov, a former ambassador to the United States who advises Putin on foreign policy.

Putin will meet with Ahmadinejad on the sidelines of the 12th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit which will be held on June 6-7 in Beijing. Iran is an observer nation to the SCO. This meeting will be held before world powers gather in Moscow on June 18-19to discuss Iran’s nuclear program.

“We weren’t too happy with the results of the last round of talks, but we determined the mutual readiness to continue the discussion,” Ushakov said. At the Moscow meeting, Russia will “promote the thought that Iran’s right to develop peaceful energy under the oversight of the International Atomic Energy Agency should be approved.”

In Beijing, Putin will also meet with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, Ushakov said. Negotiations with Karzai will be “interesting and useful” for both Russia and Afghanistan, he added.