Armenia and Iran Declare Strategic Partnership

Relations between Armenia and Iran will be elevated to the level of strategic partnership, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said after a meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Yerevan. Armenia and Iran also agreed to build a second bridge on the common border.

As "Caucasian Knot" wrote, official Tehran has dropped its claims to the Zangezur Corridor, since it is now a transit route under the sovereignty of Armenia, but will monitor the possible participation of an American company in the project, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said on August 11. Earlier, on August 8, the adviser to the Supreme Leader of Iran said that Tehran would not allow the creation of a corridor through Armenia supported by US President Donald Trump.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in Armenia today on an official visit, which will last until August 21. In Yerevan, he held talks with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and their meeting lasted longer than planned, said Pashinyan's Chief of Staff Arayik Harutyunyan.

“The discussions lasted much longer than planned, which means that there is a huge agenda. The parties especially emphasized that the time has come to raise relations to the level of strategic cooperation,” he wrote on his Facebook page*.

Following the meeting, Pashinyan personally stated that Armenia and Iran had agreed to raise their relations to the level of strategic partnership, emphasizing that the countries are already bound by “close friendship that has stood the test of time with honor.” “We discussed in detail issues of peace in the region and unblocking economic infrastructures with President Pezeshkian,” the Novosti Armenia news agency quotes Pashinyan as saying.

He once again assured that Armenia, “and not any third country,” would ensure the security of communications through Armenia, which would be opened in accordance with the Washington agreements. In the context of the relations between Armenia and Iran, these agreements will provide new opportunities for railway communication, including along the Nakhichevan-Julfa line, he explained.

Masoud Pezeshkian, in turn, welcomed the peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan, noting that “Iran wishes peace and tranquility for its neighbors.” He noted that Iran supports the territorial integrity of Armenia and is against the use of any force in the region.

The leaders of the two countries also said at a joint press conference that they had agreed to build a second bridge on the border, taking into account the growing volume of transportation between Armenia and Iran. According to Pashinyan, the parties plan to increase bilateral trade turnover to $1 billion, and in the future to $3 billion, Armenpress writes. Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Farzaneh Sadegh, who is also in Yerevan, clarified that the talks also concern strengthening the existing bridge, modernizing border terminals and revising tariffs for cargo transportation, the Iranian Tasnim news agency reports.

In addition, Pashinyan discussed with the Iranian President the project to build a third Armenia-Iran power transmission line, which will allow Armenia to increase electricity exports to Iran.

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