Joint Statement of the President of Armenia and President of Iran

Yerevan, December 21, 2016

At the invitation of the President of Armenia His Excellency Serzh Sargsyan, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran His Excellency Hassan Rouhani accompanied by a high-level delegation on December 21, 2016 conducted an official visit to Armenia.

During his visit to the Republic of Armenia, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hassan Rouhani had a meeting with the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan. The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran met also with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Karen Karapetian.

During the negotiations, which took place in a cordial atmosphere, the Presidents of the two countries exchanged views on the political, economic, cultural, regional and international issues of mutual interest. The Parties assessed the visit of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Republic of Armenia as an important step, aimed at the expansion of the relations between the two countries.
Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Hassan Rouhani expressed satisfaction with regard to the high-level relations based on the centuries-long friendship of the two peoples and reiterated their determination to further expand the bilateral relations.
The Presidents of the Republic of Armenia and the Islamic Republic of Iran stressed the importance of the activities of the joint intergovernmental commission of the two states, agreements reached during the December 22-24, 2015 session in Yerevan and December 4-5, 2016 session in Tehran and underscored the necessity of being persistent in their implementation.

The Presidents stressed the importance of the implementation of these agreements from the viewpoint of increasing the trade turnover between the two states, development of infrastructure, and enhancing the level of cooperation in the areas of energy, transportation, communications, industry, and others.

Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Hassan Rouhani underscored the importance of the interparliamentary cooperation which has always been conducive to the development of the friendly relations between Armenia and Iran, and expressed confidence that the cooperation between the legislatures will continue to develop, giving a new impetus to the good-neighborly relations of the two countries. The Presidents noted with satisfaction the noticeable vivacity in the inter-regional cooperation and expressed desire to enhance the future development of such cooperation.

The Parties stressed the importance of multiplying and developing of the transportation capabilities between Armenia and Iran. In this context, the Presidents stressed the importance of using transit and transportation routes created in the framework of the North-South corridor and linking via the territories of Armenia and Iran seaports of the Persian Gulf and the Black Sea.

The Presidents stressed the importance of the implementation by the Republic of Armenia and the Islamic Republic of Iran of the joint projects in the areas of economy, transportation, science and technology, humanitarian and other areas and mutual assistance.

Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Hassan Rouhani underscored the importance of enlarging the bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the area of natural gas and electrical power, as well as the utilization of the 3rd line of power supply and increase of the gas volumes exported from Iran to Armenia.

The Parties stressed the importance of the negotiations going on between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Eurasian Economic Area on the agreement on trade with favorable conditions and in that context the support of the Republic of Armenia.

The Presidents welcomed the visa free regime between the two countries which will expand the business ties in the Republic of Armenia and the Islamic Republic of Iran, will promote economic and investment activities, and will give a boost to the tourism area.

The Presidents of the Republic of Armenia and the Islamic Republic of Iran viewed as critical the establishment and further consolidation in the region of a lasting peace, stability and security and towards that end stressed the importance of making efforts towards the resolution of the existing conflicts and expansion of the multifaceted regional cooperation.

Referring to the Nagorno Karabakh problem, the Presidents of the two countries underscored that it must be solved in a peaceful manner, based on the UN Charter, fundamental norms and principles of international law.

The Presidents of the two countries expressed confidence that the agreements reached as a result of a positive outcome of the negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program will serve to promote regional and international security and sustainable development.

The Presidents of the two countries stressed the importance of carrying on with the joint consultations on urgent regional and international issues for the benefit of global peace.

The Presidents viewed the issue of the non-proliferation of the weapons of mass destruction as pressing, and stressed the importance of the implementation of the provisions of the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of the Nuclear Weapons.

The Presidents of the two countries attached the utmost importance to the establishment of peace in Syria as soon as possible, in order to exclude the further proliferation of the humanitarian and displacement issues.
Referring to the issues of international terrorism and organized crime, the Presidents expressed readiness to fight against such threats in the bilateral as well as multilateral formats.

The Presidents of the two countries stressed the importance of fight against violence and extremism. They assessed the dialogue of civilizations, which has an exemplary manifestation in the friendship and peaceful coexistence of the two nations, based on the deep respect and tolerance towards each other’s religion and culture, as the most significant factor for the establishment of peace in the region and in the world.

The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran His Excellency Hassan Rouhani invited the President of Armenia His Excellency Serzh Sargsyan to conduct an official visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran. The invitation was accepted with gratitude. The dates of the visit will be agreed upon through the diplomatic channels.

During the official visit of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hassan Rouhani to the Republic of Armenia and as a result of the discussions and negotiations signed were the following documents.