Putin: we hope for a balanced solution to the Iranian nuclear program

Moscow hopes to continue working on the Iranian nuclear program and the adoption of a balanced solution, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with Egyptian newspaper Al Ahram on the eve of his visit to Cairo. 

"The negotiations are well under way now. Substantial progress has been made. However, we have not managed yet to produce a final comprehensive solution either regarding the Iranian nuclear program itself or the prospects of lifting the sanctions," he said. 

"We expect the efforts in this field to be continued. The crucial point is that nobody should try to derive unilateral benefit from the situation or to bargain out more than what is needed for a balanced and just resolution of this complicated issue," the President of Russia said.

He also said that Moscow makes a significant contribution to the settlement of the situation around the Iranian nuclear program and it was not an easy task to convince our partners from the P5+1 to agree with this approach.

Putin believes that Tehran has a right to peaceful nuclear activity, including uranium enrichment.

The head of state added that Russia has also tried to convince the partners that there was no alternative to a political and diplomatic settlement.

"Then, we proposed a conceptual framework to advance along this way - the principles of the stage-by-stage movement and reciprocity. And such an approach was supported by all the participants in the process," RIA Novosti cited Putin.