TEHRAN (IRNA) -- President Mahmud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday that the Islamic Republic of Iran faces no hindrance in its efforts to expand relations with Russia and seeks durable, effective, and strong ties with the country.

A strong and independent Iran is in the best interests of Russia, and vise versa, Ahmadinejad said in an interview with the Russian news agency Itar-Tass on Thursday.
Iran and Russia are natural allies, he asserted.
Despite their history, the two countries are determined to strengthen and broaden their relations, he said.
Iran-Russia cooperation will have a positive impact on the region and the entire world, he pointed out.
The two sides enjoy ample economic potential to meet each other’s requirements, he said.
Iran and Russia are major powers that play an important role in regional and global equations, he added.
On his latest speech at the United Nations General Assembly, Ahmadinejad said the UN is an international forum for exchanging views and expressing ideas, and Iran did just that and it was welcomed by the whole world.
All countries in the world, including Russia, put the seal of approval on Iran’s viewpoints about freedom and justice, he added.
“Another positive result of the trip to New York was that the strong barrier of censorship in that country was broken and the American people listened directly to our real points of view on various global issues and welcomed them,” he said.
Iran’s nuclear activities are being conducted within the framework of IAEA regulations and are of a peaceful nature, he noted, adding that the reports released by the IAEA have proven that Iran has not deviated from peaceful nuclear activities.
Since Western countries have adopted a hostile policy toward Iran, their judgment on the country’s nuclear activities is not acceptable, he observed.
The issue of Iran’s nuclear activities has been politicized by those Western countries which suffered a loss as a result of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, the president said.
The U.S. tries to sow seeds of discord in various parts of the world to achieve its goals, and its plan to set up a missile system in Europe is a good example of this, he stated.
On the upcoming Caspian Sea conference, he said the Caspian Sea littoral countries have many commonalties and should live together in peace.
“We hope the upcoming summit of Caspian Sea littoral states in Tehran will bear fruit and help maintain the peace and wellbeing of their people,” he noted.
He went on to say that foreign powers’ interference is the root cause of the current unrest in the Middle East.
Ahmadinejad stated that Western countries have rushed to the Middle East region to plunder its oil and gas reserves, and the Zionist regime is the main cause of the insecurity in the region.
However, regional nations are vigilant and never allow the enemies to implement their plots in the Middle East, he noted.
“We call for the restoration of peace and security in the Middle East and believe that the issue should be resolved by regional nations,” he said.