Presidents of Armenia and Iran recapped the results of the meeting

At the conclusion of the Armenian-Iranian negotiations, which took place at the Presidential Palace, the parties signed documents aimed at the deepening of the cooperation between the Republic of Armenia and the Islamic Republic of Iran in a number of areas. In particular, signed were the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs of the Republic of Armenia and the Ministry of Sport and Youth of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Field of Sport, Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Armenia and the Ministry of Interior of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the Cooperation in the Field of Emergency Situations, Memorandum of Understanding between the History Museum of Armenia and the National Museum of Iran on Museum Cooperation, and Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Tourism between the Ministry of Economic Development and Investments of the Republic of Armenia and Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the Joint Use of Meghri and Nurdooz Land Border Gate. The Parties also adopted a Joint Statement.

The Presidents of Armenia and Iran summarized the results of the negotiations in the statements they made for the representatives of the mass media.

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Statement of President Serzh Sargsyan for the mass media in the wake of the meeting with the President of Iran Hassan Rouhani

Distinguished Mr. President,

Esteemed Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great honor to host in Armenia the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran and my good colleague, Doctor Hassan Rouhani.

It would be impossible to explicate the entire depth and scope of the Armenian-Iranian relations describing them as solely friendly. There are only few nations who were destined for millennia to walk down the crossroads of history side by side and today too continue to work closely together, holding in high esteem each other’s cultures.

Armenia, and I am confident Iran too, is interested to further strengthen and develop friendly relations anchored in the traditionally rich ties. It is testified to by the high level of our relations with Iran after Armenia’s independence, joint programs, dynamic reciprocal visits and, of course, the present visit of my esteem colleague, His Excellency Mr. Hassan Rouhani to our country. There is no doubt that the documents to be signed today and agreements which we have reached will give a new impetus and elevate the Armenian-Iranian cooperation to a qualitatively new level.

Today, we have held comprehensive and substantial discussions on different issues of the bilateral agenda; we have reiterated our commitment to the joint implementation of the development programs, stressed the importance of holding regular political consultations, discussed issues related to the development of cooperation in the areas of trade and economy, energy, transport, agriculture, education, healthcare, culture, ecology and tourism, and enhancement of contacts between the business circles. With the Honorable Mr. President, we have also referred to the process of implementation of the agreements reached at the 14th session of the intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation.

I express deep gratitude to my colleague for the distinctly respectful and thoughtful attention of Iran towards the Armenian cultural heritage, as well as traditionally caring attitude towards the Armenian community of Iran.

As a result of the agreement reached by the Republic of Armenia and Islamic Republic of Iran the swaps of natural gas and electrical energy between us continue. Taking into consideration the necessity to provide for the necessary volumes, which stems from the mentioned above swaps and quadripartite agreements reached in Yerevan, we have also spoken about the use of the Iran-Armenia-Georgia-Russia energy corridor.

We have also exchanged views on the program related to the establishment of a Persian Gulf-Black Sea transport and transit corridor, which will facilitate the transportation of international cargo, will provide the opportunity for the Iranian goods to enter the European market at the minimal transportation cost, as well as will allow to use it as a transit route for cargos from other countries. This will be not only the shortest and the safest passage via Armenia for the Iranian vehicles but will also become a very serious impulse for the growth of the turnover between our countries.

We have also exchanged views on the regional integration processes and stressed the importance of the opportunities for cooperation which are provided by Armenia’s membership to the Eurasia Economic Area.

The works on the improvement of the business climate and investment regulations for the businesses of the two countries are in progress. With this regard, I would like to stress in particular the importance of the visa free regime for the citizens of our countries. I am confident that mutual recognition of our two nations will also promote the deepening of the trade and economic ties.

With this regard, I am very glad that today concurrently with the visit there will take place a large business forum in Yerevan.

At the meeting, we have certainly discussed pressing regional and international issues. We have exchanged views on the implementation of the historic agreements on Iran’s nuclear program. I am confident that they will open new horizons for the hardworking and creative people of Iran and will become a new stimulus for the invigoration of our bilateral as well as a wider regional cooperation.

We have discussed the situation in the Middle East, fight against terrorism and international efforts aimed at the resolution of the situation. With this regard, the resolution adopted two days ago by the UN Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Aleppo is important. There is no doubt that Armenia is first of all concerned with the safety of the Armenian community in Syria, particularly in Aleppo.

As always, this time too I have presented to my distinguished colleague the efforts of Armenia and the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group aimed at moving forward the process for finding a peaceful resolution for the Nagorno Karabakh problem, agreements reached at the summits in Vienna and Saint Petersburg and aimed at the elimination of the consequences of Azerbaijan’s aggression against Artsakh in April.

We highly value Iran’s balanced position on the resolution of the NK problem through the exclusively peaceful means, based on international law. We have reiterated that the Nagorno Karabakh problem has no military solution and stressed the inadmissibility of any step meant to escalate the situation in the region and surge of instability.

We agreed with my colleague to continue with this good tradition of having high level meetings.

I thanked the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the invitation to visit Iran next year and said that I would certainly come with pleasure because our relations are simply compelling. Thank you very much.

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Statement of the President of Iran Hassan Rouhani for the mass media after the meeting with the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

I am glad to be hosted together with my delegation by the people and government of the neighboring and friendly Armenia. I thank the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and the esteemed members of the Government of Armenia for the warm welcome.

Cordial and friendly relations between the two countries were established since Armenia’s independence. The peoples of Iran and Armenia have been living side by side for centuries and millennia and have been a part of the same civilizational milieu.

During my oath taking ceremony, I had a chance to host in Tehran the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, and through these years we were looking for a convenient moment to make a reciprocal visit to Armenia. I am glad that today it has taken place.
Relations between Iran and Armenia hold a great potential; however, until now only part of it has been used, and we will utilize the rest in the coming months and years.

We have good relations in the area of energy, and during the negotiations we have reached the agreement to develop even more these relations, particularly related to the increase of the volumes of the exported gas, transit of the gas from Turkmenistan via Iran, and supply of electrical power. We have to continue and bring to a conclusion the construction of the second part of the Armenia-Iran power line.

Armenia and Iran may become part of the Persian Gulf-Black Sea transportation corridor. It is possible to link the Black Sea and Persian Gulf through the automobile roads and trains which will create favorable conditions for the trade and economic activities in our region, as well as for other countries.

We have also discussed issues related to the area of ecology. We have stressed the importance of settling the issue with the pollution of the Arax River since that river is a wealth of our region. I hope the issue will be solved through the directive of President Serzh Sargsyan.

We have also agreed to expand our trade and economic relations, creating favorable conditions for the businesses and investors of the two countries. With this regard, discussed were also the opportunities of making joint investments in the Aras economic area located in the RA-IRI border zone, while goods manufactured there will be exported to Armenia and Iran as well as to other countries.

We also have a productive cooperation in the areas of science and technology.
At the meeting, discussed was in particular the importance of cooperation of the two countries in the banking area. The negotiations held today between the Chairmen of the Central Banks of Iran and Armenia will create wide opportunities for the development of the ties between the banking systems of our countries which will facilitate the full use of the opportunities existing in the area of trade and economy.
We have discussed issues related to the establishment of a favorable trade regime between Iran and the EEA which will pave the way for the signing in the future of a free trade agreement.

We have also spoken about regional security issues. Armenia and Azerbaijan are neighboring and friendly countries for us, and we wish to see the establishment of a stable peace in Karabakh, achieved through the political means and negotiations because it stems from the interests of all countries of the region. There is no doubt that a stable peace cannot be achieved through the military means, and it is necessary to establish regional security and stability through negotiations, in accordance with international norms.

At the meeting, discussed was also the issue of terrorism because it concerns all countries of the region. Fortunately, in our two countries safety is on the sufficient and required level, nevertheless it is necessary through the multilateral cooperation to exercise efforts in the fight against terrorism to be able to fully defeat that problem. We have also spoken about situation in Syria and Iraq because these countries are facing the terrorism problem, and we have to assist them in their fight against terror. We concurred also on the humanitarian issues existing in that region, particularly in Aleppo.

Armenia and Iran have good traditions of cooperation in international organizations, and we agreed that these traditions should be maintained.

I hope that as a result of this meeting we will be able to provide a solid base for the further development of our relations in the trade, economic, scientific, cultural, international, and regional areas.

I thank you once again for the warm welcome and hospitality.