India and Russia on Friday called for peaceful means to solve Iranian nuclear issue instead of coercion and force.

"We shared that all possible means to resolve the issue in a peaceful manner through dialogue and negotiation should be attempted. Coercion and application of force is not the answer to resolve the issues," Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told the media after meeting with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Friday.

Mukherjee met with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki Thursday and they discussed the nuclear program issue.

India believed Iran has the right to pursue peaceful uses of nuclear energy but as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Iran must follow its treaty obligations and convince the international community about the peaceful nature of its program, he said.

When asked about the status of UN Security Council's draft resolution on Iran, Lavrov said, "We have been trying from the beginning to help with the International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA) apparatus to bring the matter to negotiating table rather than to block the roads and pathways for the possibility of pursuing those talks."

He also said that the role of the UN Security Council is to help but not to replace the IAEA in the process.

The two also discussed how to improve bilateral trade and investment and reviewed bilateral cooperation of defense, energy, science and technology and space.

Source: Xinhua