Russian concerns

Russia Concerned about Changing Positions towards Military Action against Iran - Foreign Ministry

Russia is concerned about changing the position of some countries towards a military solution of the situation around Iran, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.

RIA Novosti,

20 May, 2012

“We (Russia) are concerned that the opportunity to try to solve the problem by military means is still real. We get signals, public and from private channels that this option is now considered in some capitals as much more applicable to the situation (around Iran) than it was before,” Ryabkov said.

He said that in addition to a “negative effect for the security of many countries” in case of implementation of plans of military solution of the problem there will be “dire consequences for the global economy due to unavoidable increase of prices for hydrocarbons, which will slow exit from recession.”

“Russia is not interested in a sudden rise in oil prices,” he added. “It would be very simple and perhaps even a deliberate distortion of Moscow's position to believe that we have some wild dreams that price for oil will be $200 per barrel.”

“This is absolutely not true because we understand that this increase will slowdown the world economy, as a result the demand will fall and inevitable decline in energy prices will follow and that will be much more profound than the short-term, insignificant gains, which we will be able to get from a psychological rise as a result of destabilization,” Ryabkov said.

Russia is interested in the stability of demand to maintain prices at reasonable levels for both suppliers and consumers of energy.