Merkel en Poetin spreken over gasleiding en Iran (en)

German chancellor Angela Merkel defended plans to build a gas pipeline with Russia on her first official visit to Moscow on Monday (16 January), while Russia joined the EU and US in condemning Iran over nuclear research.

"The northern pipeline is an investment in Europe's energy security. It is important that Europeans explain to the Baltic states and Poland that this project is not aimed at anybody," Ms Merkel said, Polish news agency PAP reports.

The pipeline deal was brokered by Ms Merkel's predecessor, Gerhard Schroder, linking St Petersburg to Greifswald under the Baltic Sea by 2010.

Poland and Lithuania have complained about the project, saying it was made "over their heads" and undermines previous land-based gas pipeline projects running through their territories.

Gas made news earlier this month when Russia cut supplies to transit state Ukraine in a price row, with deliveries to Europe nosediving the following day.

The dispute with Ukraine continues to fester, but Mr Putin said on Monday that "Gas transit to Europe is now in no way linked to gas supplies to Ukraine."

The EU imports some 25 percent of its gas from Russia, but Germany is even more dependent, on 30 percent.

Russia takes western side on Iran

Mr Putin also took sides with the EU and US on the subject of Iran's nuclear reaserch after Tehran resumed uranium enrichment research last week.

"The positions of Russia, Germany, the EU and the US are very close,'' he said according to Bloomberg.

But he continued to urge caution adding "In every situation on the subject of the Iranian problem we must proceed carefully, without taking sudden, erroneous steps."

German, UK, French, US, Chinese and Russian diplomats met in London at the same time as the Russo-German summit in Moscow to debate the topic.

AFX cites European diplomats in the UK as saying that the six powers will amost certainly push for Iran to be referred to the UN Security Council at the next meeting of the UN's nuclear watchdog, the IAEA in February.

"The Russians are agreed now. They have changed their position," AFXs' diplomtic source said. "The Chinese are still a little hesitant, but effectively a Security Council referral is now a done deal. It will go to the Security Council."

The western powers wanted to refer Iran to the UN Security Council last year already, due to fears Tehran's energy research masked nuclear bomb ambitions, but Russia and China blocked the move.

Human rights also mentioned

Ms Merkel also said that she raised the subject of Chechnya "openly and in detail" with Mr Putin.

She said she would push for the EU to deliver development aid to the region, adding that "the situation in Chechnya and the northern Caucasus are not subjects in which we were able to immediately find a common language."

Russia has faced criticism on human rights grounds in recent weeks, with NGOs such as Amnesty International worried over a draft new bill that could limit their activities in the country.

Last week, Ms Merkel signalled that she might pull away from Germany's previous "friendship" with Russia into a cooler "strategic partnership" instead.

But the pair have tabled two visits for Mr Putin to Germany later this year and two more trips by Ms Merkel to Russia.