Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has arrived in the Islamic Republic of Iran on a working visit. After the official welcoming ceremony at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport, the Prime Minister proceeded to the residence of the President of Iran, where he was received by the newly elected President of the IRI, Ibrahim Raisi. This was reported by the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia.
At the meeting, the President of Iran thanked Prime Minister Pashinyan for accepting the invitation and arriving in Iran on a working visit, adding that Iran attaches importance to the continued development of relations with friendly Armenia in the political, economic and humanitarian spheres.
Nikol Pashinyan thanked Ibrahim Raisi for the warm hospitality and once again congratulated him on being elected President of the IRI. The Prime Minister stressed that multifaceted cooperation with Iran is of primary importance for our country, grounded in mutual respect and understanding.
“The centuries-old friendship of our two peoples, the close historical and cultural ties serve as a foundation for further developing bilateral interaction. We are ready to continue our dialogue through joint efforts and further enrich the bilateral cooperation agenda. The fact that I am here today testifies to our commitment to deepening relations between Armenia and the IRI at the highest level and strengthening cooperation,” noted Prime Minister Pashinyan.
Within the framework of strengthening bilateral ties, the Prime Minister considered the role of the Armenian community of Iran to be pivotal and expressed gratitude to the country’s government for ensuring all necessary opportunities for the preservation of national identity within the community.
The leaders of Armenia and Iran discussed a broad range of issues related to strengthening trade and economic ties. In particular, the interlocutors considered the ensuring of the active operation of the Meghri free economic zone and the possibility of applying a free trade regime between Iran and the EAEU as an impetus for developing interaction in this sphere.
The parties considered the development of regional communication routes to be a priority, where the development of transport and cable connectivity from the Persian Gulf to the Black Sea will be of pivotal importance.
Nikol Pashinyan welcomed the Iranian side’s interest in the North-South highway construction programme and added that the Government of the Republic of Armenia is ready to discuss the participation of Iranian construction companies in the international tender to be announced for the Sisian-Meghri section of the aforementioned programme.
Nikol Pashinyan and Ibrahim Raisi also touched upon the possibilities of developing cooperation in the energy sector. In particular, the parties discussed the progress of steps being taken towards starting the construction of the Iran-Armenia 400 kV power transmission line, attached importance to the extension of the term of the gas-for-electricity exchange programme, and the increase in the volumes of gas-for-electricity exchange after the commissioning of the third high-voltage line.
The head of government attached importance to Iran’s consistent efforts towards establishing peace and stability in the region.
Ibrahim Raisi noted that the preservation of peace in the region is of pivotal importance for Iran, adding that the Iranian side also considers it necessary to resolve all issues through dialogue.
Nikol Pashinyan and Ibrahim Raisi also discussed issues related to the implementation of new joint programmes in the fields of healthcare, modern technologies, education, science and culture.
At the end of the meeting, Ibrahim Raisi wished Prime Minister Pashinyan strength, energy and vigour in the work of Armenia’s development and the realisation of its goals. Nikol Pashinyan expressed gratitude for the wishes and invited the President of Iran to Armenia, which he graciously accepted. The interlocutors instructed the heads of the relevant departments to work closely on advancing various agenda items of Armenian-Iranian cooperation.
In the evening, Nikol Pashinyan is to attend the official inauguration ceremony of the President of the IRI.
