Unofficial translation from Russian

Foreign Minister Lavrov: First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the Saudi friends for the hospitality and attention accorded to our delegation. This is my first visit to the Persian Gulf region. It's no coincidence that the first country has become Saudi Arabia - an influential regional power and a long-standing friend of Russia. I was received by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques His Majesty King Abdallah of Saudi Arabia and conveyed a personal message from Russian President Vladimir Putin to him. It gives an appraisal of the efforts that have been undertaken in development of the accords reached between the two leaders at the end of the visit in September 2003 of King Abdallah to Russia.

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Regarding the problem of the Iranian nuclear program, we are convinced of the necessity not to allow the nuclear nonproliferation regime to be violated and to work for the aim set exclusively by peaceful means. In this regard, we share the position of our Saudi friends, who consider it necessary not to be obsessed by procedural aspects in the examination of the entire fullness of the problems connected with the Iranian nuclear program, but to look at this situation strategically, proceeding from a strategic aim, to prevent a violation of the nonproliferation regime, but to do it so as to truly ensure the lawful interests of all the countries which, one way or another, are associated with the talks on the matter and, of course, the lawful interests of the entire world community.

We have agreed to continue our dialogue on this theme. We count on its being able to enrich the discussions being conducted on Iran.

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Question: Do common points exist between the Russians and Americans on the Iranian nuclear program?

Foreign Minister Lavrov: On most of the problems which now concern the region, our ultimate tasks and those of the US, strategically and in the long term, coincide, I believe. They are the stability of the region, the prevention of the use of this key area of the world for undermining the situation here, for nourishing extremist tendencies and, accordingly, for building up terrorist activities, and the prevention of the use of these conflicts for a split which would bear an intercivilizational character. It is my belief that all these aims in the foreign policies of Russia and the United States objectively, in a long term perspective coincide. What's most important - they coincide with the interests of the region's countries themselves. We are interested in seeing the region evolve dynamically and steadily. Russia holds that to achieve these results is only possible on the basis of full consideration of the approaches which are being worked out in the countries of the region themselves. In this sense my talks today in Saudi Arabia were extremely useful because I heard very thoughtful interlocutors who are well versed in the nuances of the various problems of the Middle East and of the Persian Gulf and have an enormous experience and ability to state their point of view diplomatically, avoid abrupt movements and try to always be guided not by a specific aspect of the nearest political conjuncture, but by the strategic, long-term interests of their people and the peoples of the entire region. In this regard, our agreement to carry on the dialogue exactly in the context of a strategic vision of the development of the problems around Iran's nuclear program or other problems of this region presents a substantial and practical interest for Russian diplomacy. We are grateful to our partners for that.

Question: What sanctions could Russia support against Iran?

Foreign Minister Lavrov: I can't recall a single case in contemporary history when the sanctions would have reached the aim which their initiators had set for themselves.

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