Envoy Hails Condition of Armenian Christians in Iran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Armenia’s ambassador to Tehran dismissed Western media outlets' propaganda on alleged discrimination against religious minorities in Iran, hailing the Islamic country for creating ideal conditions for Armenian Christians.
“The Armenians residing in Iran are offered tremendous possibilities for maintaining their national identity,” Grigor Arakelian told Tasnim on the sidelines of the 20th Press and News Agencies Exhibition, in Tehran on Friday.
“Presence of two (Armenian) legislators in the Iranian parliament signifies that Armenians enjoy really good conditions in Iran and get great respect from the Muslim brothers,” he added.
The close bond between Iran and Armenia has its roots in the history, the envoy noted, adding that the bilateral relations now stand at the highest level.
Under the Iranian Constitution, the recognized religious minorities have the right to elect parliamentary representatives of their own, while they can vote for Muslim candidates as well.
Five seats of the country’s parliament are reserved for religious minorities. There is one Zoroastrian, one Jewish and three Christian (two for Armenian Christian and one for Assyrians) lawmakers in the Iranian parliament.
