Iranian Deputy FM Holds Meetings in Armenia
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Asia and Pacific Affairs Ebrahim Rahimpour on Friday held talks with a number of senior Armenian officials, including Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, in the Armenian capital of Yerevan.
In his meeting with Nalbandian, Rahimpour hailed the historical and friendly relations between Iranians and Armenians and said the ties between Tehran and Yerevan are at the highest level today.
He also highlighted the willingness of the two countries’ leaders to further expand bilateral collaborations in various political, economic and cultural fields.
Rahimpour described a recent visit to Armenia by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as a major factor contributing to the development of the bilateral ties.
During his trip to Yerevan in late December, the Iranian chief executive held talks with his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsian and attended a joint meeting of the two countries’ high-ranking officials where five cooperation documents were signed between the two neighbors.
Nalbandian, for his part, hailed last year’s lifting of mutual visa regime enabling citizens of Iran and Armenia to freely commute between the two countries.
He welcomed the rise in the number of Iranian tourists visiting Armenia as a result of the visa regime removal, which came into effect in August 2016, and called for lifting of obstacles in way of Armenian travelers’ visit to Iran.
He also expressed his country’s readiness to develop the bilateral relations with Iran and called for developing regional cooperation in the field of energy among Iran, Armenia, Georgia and Russia.
During his stay in Yerevan, Rahimpour also met with Armenia’s Minister of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources Ashot Manukyan and Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan.
