Armenia PM Holds Talks in Tehran

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who has arrived in Tehran for a two-day visit, met with Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, he and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani co-chaired a meeting between the delegations of the two countries, which mainly focused on economic cooperation.​
Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said Tehran and Yerevan need to develop “strong” relations despite the United States’ opposition. 
“Iran and Armenia are good neighbors with historical bonds who need to upgrade the level of their economic cooperation,”  Ayatollah Khamenei said in a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Tehran on Wednesday, which was also attended by President Hassan Rouhani, according to the Leader’s website. 
“Iran and Armenia should have strong, lasting and friendly relations, despite the bidding of the United States,” the Leader stressed. 
“The Americans are totally untrustworthy and seek … conflict and war everywhere, and are opposed to connections between Iran and Armenia and the nations’ interests, but we have a duty to promote cooperation,” he added. 
The top Armenian official assured that his country will not back any anti-Iranian effort on the international stage, noting that promotion of relations with Iran is in the interest of Armenians. 
Earlier in the day, Iranian and Armenian delegations led by Rouhani and Pashinyan discussed ways of expanding bilateral relations.