Iranian Ambassador: According to the trilateral statement, the  Goris-Kapan section of the road should have had its previous status  before the completion of construction of the bypass road

ArmInfo.According to the trilateral ceasefire statement between Russia, Armenia and  Azerbaijan, the transit road (section of the Goris-Kapan road, Ed.  note) should have had its previous status before the completion of  construction of the bypass road.  Ambassador of Iran to Armenia Abbas  Badakhshan Zohouri stated this in an interview with the Tasnim news  agency, referring to the Iran-Armenia relations, as well as the  development in the Caucasus and on the North-South transit road.

Thus, according to the diplomat, the relations between Iran and  Armenia were good and at the highest level since the RA gained  independence. "However, in parallel with good political relations  between the two countries, we have not achieved the desired results  in the economic dimension, as expected given the existing potential."

At the same time, he stated that after Nikol Pashinyan came to power  in 2018, a new foreign policy was announced. "Three years ago, when  Pashinyan's revolution took place, new prospects opened up, and the  view of the new RA government was mainly directed at the development  of Armenia. But it came to war, and the implementation of the planned  plans in the direction of development was difficult. This development  process continued with the re-election of Pashinyan, "he noted,  adding that during the period of Pashinyan's rule, Armenian-Iranian  relations developed in all directions.

At the same time, Badakhshan Zohouri pointed to the low volume of  trade between the two countries, adding that the holding of Iranian  exhibitions in Armenia contributes to the stimulation of bilateral  trade.

Referring to the construction of a transit road from south to north,  the diplomat, in particular, said: "We have a route from the Indian  Ocean to the port of Chabahar and the Persian Gulf, and then the  Julfa- Armenia-Georgia railway route and to the Black Sea, which is  safe. This is a very suitable route for trade exchange, and countries  along this route can make good use of its advantages. "

At the same time, the Iranian ambassador assured that the  construction of an alternative transit road is currently under way  (bypassing the 21 km section of the Goris-Kapan road in the Syunik  region of the RA - Ed. note).

He also did not rule out Iran's participation in the construction of  a 60 km bypass road through the city of Sisian in the Syunik region  of the Republic of Armenia. According to the ambassador, this road  will become the shortest path, and the Armenian government is  seriously striving to build it.  Badakhshan Zohouri also added that  negotiations on Iran's participation in the construction of this  section are still ongoing.

The diplomat also touched upon the obstacles that the Azerbaijani  Armed Forces created on the South- North transit road. "21 km of this  road on the Goris-Kapan section now belongs to the Republic of  Azerbaijan according to the old Soviet maps. However, according to  the agreements on a trilateral ceasefire statement between Armenia  and Azerbaijan, it is assumed that this road will have the previous  status until the construction of the new road is completed. But,  unfortunately, we saw that some time ago the road was closed for two  days for the first time, and then after its opening, Iranian trucks  are charged a toll, "the ambassador said, adding that Tehran expected  that Baku will wait until the construction of the alternative road  was completed and would not charge a fee for the section that Iran  had used for the past 30 years, paying a fee upon arrival in Armenia.

The diplomat also stressed that the Iranian Embassy in Armenia is  taking a number of measures to resolve these problems as soon as  possible, including in notes sent to the Armenian government.

The head of the Iranian diplomatic mission also believes that today  Armenia does not pay serious attention to the issue of its  independence and this is due not only to the fact that it has serious  support from Russia, which controls most of the Armenian  infrastructure. Badakhshan Zohouri believes that the western  aspirations of Armenia will increase in the future, which is among  other things due to the large Armenian Diaspora in the United States  and Europe.