The final stage of construction of Iran"s...

Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko briefed the prime minister on his recent visit to Iran, where he visited the Bushehr facility and participated in a meeting of the Russian-Iranian intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation.

Shmatko toured the reactor site earlier this week with Ali Akbar Salehi, the new head of the country"s Atomic Energy Organization. Following his inspection, the Russian energy minister said he expected the plant to be ready soon.

The launch date has been postponed many times over financial and technical reasons. Iran has claimed that Russia was reluctant to finish the facility due to UN sanctions, and concerns voiced by world powers that the plant is part of a covert nuclear weapons program.

During the meeting with Putin, Shmatko discussed the approaches of the Russian delegation at the forthcoming meeting in Qatar of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum.

As the world"s largest gas producer, Russia is a key player in

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