Iran Welcomes Armenia’s Plans for New Routes
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Hailing plans to broaden the land and railroads between Iran and Armenia, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Tehran embraces any initiative for the promotion of transportation infrastructures with respect for the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations.
In a telephone conversation with Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Wednesday, Raisi congratulated the neighboring state on the birthday of Jesus Christ and the beginning of the new Christian year.
He also expressed satisfaction with the process of developing relations and implementing agreements between the two countries.
In response to the Armenian government's plans to develop road and rail communication routes between the two countries as well as the countries of the region, the Iranian president said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran supports any type of action and platform to open communication routes and infrastructures with the Caucasus region, while respecting the principle of respect for the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, and evaluates it as an effective step in the direction of consolidating peace and securing the interests of its neighbors.”
“The foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran towards the Caucasus is fixed and care must be taken that the Caucasus region does not become a field of competition for extra-regional countries and that its issues are handled by the countries of the region and without the interference of outsiders,” the president added, his official website reported.
Raisi described the successful meeting of the 3+3 format in Tehran as a constructive step to strengthen regional cooperation and normalize the relations among the countries of the region.
“Developing neighborly relations and strengthening relations in order to ensure mutual benefits and the interests of the countries of the region are a fundamental policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he stated.
For his part, Pashinyan reviewed the course of economic cooperation between the two countries and the latest developments in the region, as well as the measures to implement the bilateral agreements and promote mutual cooperation.
The Armenian prime minister also said the continuation and increase of relations between the high-ranking officials of Iran and Armenia indicate the determination of the two countries to comprehensively develop relations.