Trend, Azerbaijan
Sept 17 2011
Iran-Armenia ties promote security – Ahmadinejad
[18.09.2011 00:34]
Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the expansion of ties
between Iran and Armenia helps promote peace and security in the
region, Press TV reported.
During a Saturday meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian in the Iranian capital, Tehran, Ahmadinejad pointed to the
available potentials for the enhancement of Iran-Armenia ties and
said, “Trade with neighbors is always the best [form of] trade, which
is beneficial both to the establishment and promotion of security,
peace and amity and to the regional countries.”
Ahmadinejad also said that Tehran-Yerevan ties could be enhanced
promptly as Iran considers no limits on its relations with Armenia,
IRNA reported.
Iran is keen to see world nations live in justice and amity, and if
there is any difference in opinions, it should be resolved through
dialogue, the Iranian chief executive added.
Earlier in the day, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi also met
with his Armenian counterpart in Tehran.
Salehi described Iran’s ties with Armenia as “strategic,” stressing
the need to continue negotiations on the expansion of bilateral
relations.
He congratulated his counterpart on the 20th anniversary of the
Armenia’s independence and described having good relations with
neighbors as one of Tehran’s foreign policy priorities.
Salehi urged the continuation of negotiations with Armenia over mutual
issues and regional developments and expressed Iran’s readiness to
cooperate with the Armenian government in the transportation and
energy sectors as well as in the fields of politics and culture.
Nalbandian, for his part, voiced satisfaction with Tehran-Yerevan
relations and formally invited the Iranian foreign minister to visit
Armenia.
The Armenian foreign minister also stressed the role of Iran in
establishing stability and security in Central Asia and discussed the
latest developments in the Caucasus, including the negotiations
between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. – are
currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.
Iran and Armenia have taken major strides towards promoting mutual
relations in the past few years.
The bilateral trade volume between the two states stands at nearly USD
270 million, according to the Armenian foreign minister.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
