On July 24, RA Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian had a private conversation, and an extended meeting with the participation of the delegations of both countries took place in Tehran.
Next, the two ministers made statements to the press. Below, we present the full text of Ararat Mirzoyan’s message.
“I thank my good friend and dear colleague for the invitation to Tehran, the warm welcome, effective negotiations, and discussions.
The Republic of Armenia and the Armenian people greatly value the rich historical relations with the neighboring and friendly Islamic Republic of Iran, and we can confidently state that high-level visits and contacts are aimed at further strengthening our ties in the long term. Iran has always been and will continue to be a particular partner, including in overcoming the challenges in the current difficult conditions.
Our bilateral friendly relations, anchored on mutual respect and understanding, are developing dynamically without interruptions, enriching the cooperation agenda between the two countries through joint efforts and pointing out new prospects for cooperation.
Giving great importance to the milestone set by the RA Prime Minister and the President of the Republic of Iran, the agreement on increasing the volume of bilateral trade turnover to 3 billion dollars, we emphasized the continuity of joint economic programs and the importance of completing them.
Cooperation in trade, energy, transport, and road infrastructure uniquely influences our agenda. In this regard, it is necessary to emphasize the importance of implementing the “North-South Road Corridor” and “Persian Gulf-Black Sea” international transport routes.
Trilateral formats with the participation of Armenia and Iran are also an exciting platform for cooperation. This year, we were happy to host the first consultations in the Armenia-Iran-India format in Yerevan. We attach great importance to this tripartite cooperation, which has vast potential for multi-sector collaboration.
The opening of the Consulate General of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Kapan last year was one of the substantive achievements of the bilateral cooperation, which we consider to be a logical continuation of the work being carried out toward the establishment of the Consulate General of the Republic of Armenia in Tabriz.
The strong Armenian-Iranian ties are evidenced by the constant care taken at a high state level for our two countries’ ancient historical and cultural heritage. I want to note that a few days ago, the pilgrimage of our diplomats took place to St. Thaddeus the Apostle monastery complex. We highlight the close friendly ties established between the parliaments of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Iran.
Dear attendees, the issues related to regional security and stability were at the core of our discussion today. We particularly emphasized the need to establish peace, security, and stability in the South Caucasus. I presented to my colleague the process of negotiations on the settlement of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
As we have mentioned many times, in the context of the settlement of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the re-establishment of clear borders based on the Alma-Ata Declaration, the provision of border demarcation and border security guarantees, as well as the formation of a stable international mechanism for discussions between Stepanakert and Baku to address the rights and security issues of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh are essential for us.
However, I regret to say that instead of dialogue with the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, today Azerbaijan is conducting a policy of ethnic cleansing, the clear manifestation of which is the illegal blocking of the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to the outside world, the Lachin Corridor, which has been going on for more than seven months. From June 15, the supply of food and medicine to Nagorno-Karabakh was stopped entirely, and the transportation of patients with serious health problems to Armenia was hindered.
Today we are witnessing what we warned about seven months ago. There is already a significant, tangible humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh. And this is happening in gross violation of international humanitarian norms, despite the 2020 provisions fixed by the tripartite declaration of November 9, many appeals and resolutions of the international community, the legally binding decision of the International Court of Justice on February 22, which by the way was reaffirmed on July 6.
Armenia expects the active efforts of the actors interested and responsible for real peace in the South Caucasus in order not to allow a new humanitarian disaster in front of their eyes in the 21st century.
The Republic of Armenia is intensely interested in unblocking regional economic and transport infrastructures based on the sovereignty of countries and national jurisdiction, as well as on the principles of equality and reciprocity. In this context, the inseparability of our state border with the Islamic Republic of Iran is not subject to dispute for us, regarding which the positions of the Armenian and Iranian sides are identical. As we have mentioned several times, we highly appreciate the moral and precise work of neighboring and friendly Iran regarding the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia and its sovereignty over the supposed infrastructures.
My good friend, Mr. Abdollahia, I would like to re-emphasize the readiness and political will of the top leadership of Armenia to develop and deepen relations with our good neighbor, the Islamic Republic of Iran, in the spirit of mutual respect and mutually beneficial partnership.
Thank you for today’s warm reception and hospitality in Tehran, which has been a sister city with Yerevan since the beginning of this year. We will be honored to host you soon in Armenia, where friends are always waiting. Once again, I reaffirm the invitation of the RA Prime Minister to his beloved colleague, President Raisi.
