Iranian and Armenian delegations led by President Hassan Rouhani and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan discussed ways of expanding bilateral relations at a meeting in Tehran on Wednesday.
Speaking at the meeting, Rouhani highlighted Iran’s interest in fostering close cooperation with regional countries, including Armenia, adding that the two countries need to utilize all capacities for this purpose.
“Iran and Armenia can improve their collaboration in the energy sector, including gas and electricity, both bilaterally and multilaterally with regional states,” the president was quoted as saying by his website.
He also pointed to the great potential in the agrifood sector, especially in livestock production and farming.
Rouhani stressed that developing banking relations is also crucial to trade cooperation between the two neighbors.
“Iran is ready to collaborate with Armenia in such sectors as medicine, health, tourism, industry, mining, information and communication technology, transport, transit of goods, science and environmental projects in the Aras basin,” he said, referring to the region surrounding the river that flows along the shared border.
EEU Agreements
Rouhani also pointed to agreements between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union on preferential trade as positive factors to pave the way for the improvement of Tehran-Yerevan ties.
EEU is a political and economic union of states located in central and northern Asia and Eastern Europe, including Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia.
Based on a three-year provisional agreement reached on May 17, 2018, the bloc would welcome Iran into the EEU free trade zone.
The Armenian prime minister expressed his country’s willingness to jointly work with Iran in various areas such as economy, agriculture, transport, ICT and tourism.
“Increasing the cooperation of Iran and EEU with the ratification of the preferential trade agreement in the parliaments of member states would be a major development for the region,” he said.
Rouhani also thanked the Iranian government and nation for creating favorable living conditions for Armenians residing in the country.
At the high-level meeting, the two sides also signed two memoranda of understanding.
The first MoU was signed between the Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran and Armenia’s Ministry of Economic Development and Investments.
The Armenian ministry also signed a cooperation agreement with Iran’s Supreme Council of Free Trade, Industrial and Special Economic Zones.
