Ivanov says Moscow defensive weapons to Damascus don't threaten neighbors

Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa said that the meeting held between president Mubarak and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov tackled the development of the situations in Kosovo and the Middle East peace process, as well as the situation in Iraq and Russian - Egyptian bilateral ties.

Concerning the question of the declarations stated in Israel that Israel stopped Russia from exporting technology to some Middle East countries and whether Russia feels anxiety toward the current situation of the United Nations and intends to make initiatives to restore the greatness of the world organization, Ivanov said Israel has expressed its anxiety toward exporting Russian weapons to Syria, adding that there are claims of Russian cooperation with Iran in the field of weapons.

He added that Syrian cooperation on military supplies will be carried out according to Russia's international commitments and in a specified form through bilateral relations only, and that Russian weapons exports to Syria are defensive weapons that don not constitute any danger to Syria's neighbors.

Concerning Iranian - Russian cooperation, Ivanov said his country has previously and in a formal way announced that there is no cooperation in the field of missile technology.

Concerning the UN's affairs, he said Russia seeks always to confirm the importance of the UN's role, and it will pursue its endeavors in the future with all its capabilities.