President Ahmadinejad Meets Russian Elites In Moscow

Moscow, July 3, IRNA – Visiting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad described justice as a key factor in resolving current world problems. President Ahmadinejad who is in Moscow to attend the second Summit of Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), made the remarks in a meeting with a group of Russian elites. On Tehran-Moscow relations, he said the enemies are attempting to sow discord between the two nations. The two countries are historic neighbors and creation of tension between the two nations would only serve enemies. President Ahmadinejad arrived in Moscow Monday on a two-day visit and was welcomed at the airport by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Vladimirovich Morgulov. The GECF is an intergovernmental organization of 11 world leading natural gas producers made up of Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela. The agenda of the summit covers a number of issues including current developments of world gas markets; the situation of the gas industry in general and in the member states in particular; the views of the member countries regarding their own as well as the consumersˈ energy and gas policies and the current and future status of GECF. The GECF members together control over 70% of the worlds natural gas reserves, 38% of the pipeline trade and 85% of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) production. The three largest reserve-holders in the GECF - Russia, Iran and Qatar - together hold about 57% of global gas. The ministerial meeting of the GECF was held on Saturday with the presence of Iranˈs Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi./end