Astana, Kazakhstan ? Vice President Dick Cheney on Friday shrugged off negative Russian reaction to his criticism of President Vladimir Putin, saying he had merely described “the extent to which they seem to resist the development of strong democracies” in Eastern Europe.

The vice president said that despite the diplomatic dustup, he expects a meeting of industrialized nations to take place as scheduled this summer in Russia. “We’ll all benefit from a free, open and honest exchange at that conference,” he said.

At a news conference with Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Cheney held up his host as a model for Iran to follow in the gathering controversy about Tehran’s possible pursuit of nuclear weapons.

“The example provided by Kazakhstan some years ago when they achieved independence, of giving up the inventory of nuclear weapons that were deployed in Kazakhstan, was an outstanding example that the Iranians might want to consider,” he said.

Cheney’s overnight stop in Kazakhstan was the second on a three-country international trip.