Russian President Vladimir Putin called Iran a close friend of Russia and said Iran has “absolute right” to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called Iran a close friend of Russia and said Iran has “absolute right” to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, Iranian news agency reported.

“Russia has always defended the rights of the Iranian nation in all international organizations and considers peaceful use of nuclear energy as the absolute right of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said during a meeting with Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the fringes of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Beijing Thursday.

Putin’s remarks came as Iran and the 5+1 group (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany) are preparing to hold nuclear talks in Moscow on June 18-19.

The Iranian president also said there is a long history of cooperation between Iran and Russia and “Iran is our close and intimate partner for cooperation in the Caspian Sea affairs.”

“Russia greatly respects the past and current history of the Iranian nation,” he added.

While praising the close cooperation between Tehran and Moscow, Putin said his country is in constant and direct contact with Tehran about its key nuclear issue.

Putin noted that Russia has completed and launched the Bushehr nuclear power plant and this plant will enter a new stage soon.

The Russian leader also stressed that Moscow - like Tehran which is against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction including atomic weapons - has also put its doctrine based on such idea.