Yesterday, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived to Armenia on official visit. As the Armenian President Press Service informs, after the official ceremony of welcoming the President of Iran at the Presidential Palace, Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad held a private meeting, which was followed by the negotiations of the delegations of Armenia and Iran in the extended format. Later, there took place the ceremony of signing documents related to the bilateral cooperation in different areas. “I am glad that during our private meeting with the President, we have reached very important conclusions. It will help considerably to further our relations. I am confident that sincere Armenian- Iranian relations are the foundation of our relations and this very visit is aimed at deepening our relations based on that friendship. I would like to once again stress the fact that our political dialogue is going on efficiently at every level, it also has a very good economic base and despite the international problems in the global economy, our economic relations continue to develop,” stated Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan during the meeting with journalists. In his turn the Iranian President Ahmadinejad stated, “We have had very good discussion with Mr. President. I said that nobody in the world can change the map of Armenia and Iran. We are neighbors and friends and will live side by side and move forward. There are no limitations for the development of our relations. We have had very good discussion regarding different projects – Arax hydropower station, exchange of electric power. We have also explored opportunities for the development of trade and economic relations, to set base and coordinate all customs and other auxiliary works aimed at boosting the turnover. We have also spoken about some regional issues. Fortunately, on the regional issues our positions are very close and similar. We have reached agreement that those officials responsible for the implementation of the programs meet as soon as possible. Mr. President, I thank you for the genial and warm reception. Traditions and customs of the two peoples in their turn show mutual closeness. We, our two countries, want to deepen our friendship and are concerned with the alien penetration into the region. Fortunately, today we witness the expansion of our relations. There is no negative factor or obstacle for the development of our relations.” The Presidents of the two states expressed satisfaction with the expanding cooperation in energy sphere. Welcoming the launch of the program for the construction of the third power transmission line, they stressed the importance of concluding it in the shortest possible time. The Presidents stressed the importance of the implementation of the strategic projects pertinent to the construction of hydropower stations on Arax river, railroad, which will connect railroad systems of the two countries, and construction of the Iran- Armenia oil pipeline. The relevant Ministries have been assigned with the task in the next six months to make every effort to move these projects into practical phase. Presidents Sargsyan and Ahmadinejad stressed also the importance of creating favorable conditions for the economic and investment activities of the business communities of the Republic of Armenia and Islamic Republic of Iran. Presidents of Armenia and Iran underscored the import of establishing and reinforcing in the region enduring peace, stability and security, highlighting the importance of deepening multilateral regional cooperation and of the efforts aimed at the resolution of the existing conflicts. With regard to the resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the Presidents of the two countries underlined the necessity of solving it peacefully, based on the fundamental norms and principles of international law. Presidents of Armenia and Iran, underscoring the necessity of maintaining bilateral consultations regarding pivotal regional and international issues, underscored the importance of reinforcing global peace and security.
