Unofficial translation from Russian

Foreign Minister Lavrov: Good afternoon, esteemed colleagues. Important events were held yesterday and today, first in Shanghai and then in Beijing. In Shanghai the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers' session took place, the principal task of which was preparations for the upcoming summit of this organization scheduled for June 15 also in Shanghai.

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Undoubtedly, an important part of our partnership is cooperation on the international scene. We today discussed a broad spectrum of international problems and stated that we hold identical positions on most of them, including Iran's nuclear problem and the nuclear problem of the Korean Peninsula. We are convinced that both problems must be tackled by politico-diplomatic methods without threats and especially without any attempts at the use of force. We agreed to continue acting in a coordinated way on these issues, as also on those of Middle East settlement, Iraq and Afghanistan. We agreed to continue the closest cooperation on issues related to United Nations activities. On the whole, Russian-Chinese relations are at their highest-ever level of development, permit tackling any questions that exist between our countries and continue to evolve dynamically.

Question from Rossiiskaya Gazeta: Sergey Viktorovich, do you consider that the recent New York round of talks on Iran's nuclear program ended with no result, as, for example, The Washington Times wrote? Can it be seen as the interim result of the diplomatic efforts of Russia and China, the decision by the President of Iran to come to the SCO summit in Shanghai?

Foreign Minister Lavrov: As to the six-nation talks in New York on Iran's nuclear program and what I understand interested you in the assessments of these talks by the Washington Times newspaper, I shall say that this newspaper has the reputation of a publication with very good sources in governmental structures. So I do not rule out that the assessments set forth there had appeared necessary to somebody for being made public exactly in the context of implying that this meeting in New York had ended with no result. I attended this meeting. It was really very long, and the debate was truly serious, as different points of view clashed there. But I think that, given the complexity of Iran's nuclear problem, it was indeed hard to expect easy and "simple" decisions. But those hours we expended in New York on very serious, I repeat, "hot" talks did in the end produce a result. For it was at the end of this New York meeting that the agreement was reached by all six countries on the need - apart from continued work within the IAEA and the UN Security Council - to develop a positive package for Iran that would show the advantages of cooperation and of the fulfillment of the demands which the IAEA has placed before Teheran. Therefore, I personally believe that the New York meeting was the most difficult in its negotiation tenseness, but also at the end of the day - the most productive and the most useful one of all those which have hitherto occurred.

Iran, like India, Pakistan and Mongolia, is an SCO observer, and it has been in this capacity that it has received an invitation to the summit and it is in this capacity that it will take part in it with regard for the agenda that has already been approved. I do no think that it will be productive to bring into discussion at the summit any questions that do not figure in its agenda.

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Question from Kyodo Tsushin: During the talks you touched upon the nuclear problems of Iran and the Korean Peninsula. What decisions were taken on these issues? Besides, we would like to know Russia's attitude towards the further development of cooperation in the energy field, including possible Russian plans for the SCO summit in Shanghai.

Foreign Minister Lavrov: Regarding the nuclear problems of Iran and the Korean Peninsula I've already said that Russia and China concur that they require resolving solely by negotiation. Now, unfortunately, a pause has arisen in six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula. It arose owing to the unsettledness of certain financial and fiscal problems concerning the DPRK. We expect that the interested parties will be able to directly resolve these problems as soon as possible, which will open the way to a resumption of the six-party talks.

As to the Iranian nuclear program, now, as you know, the report of the IAEA Director General is being studied, which has been delivered both to the IAEA Board of Governors and to the UN Security Council. There is in the Security Council the draft resolution proposed by West European countries. The IAEA Board of Governors will meet in a couple of weeks for its next session. We are concerned that Iran so far has not answered all the questions the IAEA has about its nuclear program. The Iranian side has repeatedly promised to do that. We count on this occurring in the very near future. We are also convinced that this needs to be sought through dialogue and the drawing of Iran into consideration of the prospects of comprehensive cooperation in the context of the settlement of its nuclear problem and not through diktat and not through attempts to isolate Iran, drive it into a corner on the expectation of this helping to lower the risks of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. We believe it will be quite the opposite - the risks will only increase. So neither Russia nor China, as we today confirmed with my colleague, will be able to support formulations of a possible UN Security Council resolution which could be used later as a pretext for coercive and, especially, strong-arm actions.

As to how energy themes will be discussed at the SCO summit, there are no special decisions being planned, but, of course, as part of the promotion of economic cooperation among the SCO members energy projects do figure conspicuously. Within the SCO there are countries rich in energy resources and there are also countries which need to increase their import. Transit routes for transporting energy carriers lie in the SCO area, and new systems are under construction. In particular, the construction of the Eastern Siberia-Pacific Oil Pipeline has begun ahead of time. So that all these aspects taken together create a natural content for discussions on how to develop energy cooperation within the SCO on the basis of consideration of the interests of consumers, producers and transit countries alike, on the basis of, in other words, the natural advantages of each country without any artificial politicization of energy problems, as, unfortunately, is the case in other regions. It is in this vein - and on the basis of a balance of the lawful interests of producers and consumers of hydrocarbons and other energy resources, on the basis of a search for mutually advantageous solutions, taking into account the interests of all sides - that the issues of energy security will also be examined at the G8 summit in St. Petersburg. As you know, PRC President Hu Jintao has been invited to participate in meetings on the fringes of this summit. The Chinese side is making a contribution to the preparation of the priority themes of this meeting, including the theme of energy security. Here our positions with China also coincide.

In conclusion I wish to thank you for your participation in the press conference, and not by way of advertisement, urge everybody to attend the Year of Russia in China events. They're truly impressive. Please write for your readers and show your viewers more of the beautiful. Thank you for your attention.