Armenia Seeks Close Defense Relations

Armenia sets great store on boosting security and defense relations with Iran, the defense chief of the Caucasian country said. “Armenia attaches great importance to the establishment and deepening of ties with Iran and Georgia in its security and defense doctrine,” Vigen Sargsyan told the Munich Security Conference on Sunday, as quoted by IRNA. He praised his side’s longstanding relations with the Islamic Republic and Georgia, which host large Armenian communities. “Iran has always been a friend of Georgia. Tehran and Yerevan have managed to establish and maintain bilateral ties based on good neighborliness and mutual respect,” he said. Sargsyan highlighted the role of Islamic Republic in helping resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. “Iran has adopted a moderate approach to the Karabakh dispute to help resolve it effectively,” he said. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict began in 1988 and escalated into armed clashes after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. Sporadic tensions and border skirmishes have continued in the region despite a ceasefire signed in 1994. Sargsyan traveled to Iran late last month and held talks with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Dehqan.