MOSCOW URGES SPEEDING-UP VISA-FREE TRAVEL

Lavrov mentioned that there is no technical or organizational obstacles to introduce visa-free travel between Russia and European Union.

"For the strategic partners like Russia and EU, this is principally important to cancel visas as soon as possible," Lavrov said, urging Europeans not to politicize the issue.

Lavrov expected that Russia and the EU will be able to significantly advance toward switching to visa-free travel in 2011.

"There are no technical or organizational obstacles to switching to visa-free travel. We have an agreement, and there is a list of issues compiled that need to be settled to switch to visa-free travel. We expect to actively close or at least to be closing these issues this year," Lavrov said.

In the December Lisbon summit between Russia and the EU, the parties focused on visa-free regime, among other issues. Along with attempts to persuade EU as a whole, Russia's diplomacy also tried to push the deal during bilateral talks with the EU member countries during 2010. Moscow stressed that visa lifting would be the starting point of integration between Russia and Europe.

"Waiving visas must not be the end but the beginning of the real integration process of Russia and EU," Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said last year.

IRANIAN, MID-EASTERN PROBLEMS 'DESERVE ATTENTION'

Russia welcomed Teheran's invitation to visit its nuclear sites but such visits cannot substitute for inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Lavrov said.

"This (Iranian offer) deserves attention," he said.

This week, Iran invited inspectors from Russia, China, the EU and its allies among the Arab and developing world to visit its nuclear sites on Jan. 15-16, prior to Istanbul talks with the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany.

The EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton, however, turned down the invitation, saying that it was the IAEA's function to inspect Iran's nuclear facilities.

Besides the Iran nuclear issue, Lavrov said that Russia has proposed holding the next meeting of the Middle East Quartet comprised of Russia, the EU, the United Nations and the U.S., on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in February.

"It is very important that this meeting should involve representatives of the Arab League. Ideally, it should be attended by the Israelis and Palestinians," Russia's top diplomat said.

Recently, Russia's Foreign Ministry expressed its concerns about Israel's project to build more homes for Jews in Eastern Jerusalem. Moscow urged Israel to halt all unilateral actions that might influence the outcome of the talks. The direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have been suspended due to Israel's rejection to extend moratorium on settlement buildings in the West Bank.

Lavrov also said that Medvedev's visit to Jordan and the Palestinian territories would take place, and allegations that the trip would be a response to Israel's inability to receive the Russian president were mere speculation.

"The allegations that President Medvedev has decided to travel to the Palestinian territories in retaliation to the fact that the Israelis failed to receive him have absolutely nothing in common with reality, and they smell of a very bad provocation," Lavrov said.

Medvedev's planned visit to Israel was cancelled because Israel's Foreign Ministry staff went on strike on the eve of 2011.