Tuesday, November 1 2022 17:16

ArmInfo. The visit of Armenian  Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to Iran will undoubtedly be a turning  point for the development of relations between the two countries.  Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi stated this on November 1 at a joint  press conference in the Saadabad cultural and historical complex  following negotiations with Pashinyan, who arrived in the country on  a working visit. 

To date, the parties have already announced the extension of the  agreement in the field of energy and gas.  Noting that the policy of  good neighborliness is one of the priorities of the Iranian  government, Ebrahim Raisi noted that holding bilateral meetings for  the development of economic, trade and security relations between  Iran and Armenia is on the agenda.

According to the Iranian President, the trade turnover between the  two countries increased by 43%. The task was set to achieve a trade  turnover of $3 billion, Raisi said. In his opinion, good relations  between the two countries will certainly lead to better relations in  the region and the world.

Stating that The Caucasus region is a part of the cultural and  civilizational history of Iran, Raisi said that development, security  and peace in the Caucasus region are very important for Iran. At the  same time, as the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran emphasized,  regional problems should be solved by regional players. "Any  intervention from the outside, instead of solving problems, will only  create additional ones," he said.

The Prime Minister of Armenia, in turn, highly appreciated the  attitude of President Raisi towards the Armenian community of Iran.  Iran can be a clear and visible symbol of peaceful cooperation and  coexistence between followers of different religions, he said.  "I  provided Mr. Raisi with information about yesterday's trilateral  meeting in Sochi and agree with the Iranian President's opinion on  establishing lasting peace and security in the region," Pashinyan  said.  He also said that the ministers of Iran and Armenia signed a  memorandum of understanding regarding the extension of the agreement  on electricity and gas. There were also discussions in the field of  energy and agriculture, infrastructure and water management.  The  Prime Minister of Armenia invited the President of Iran to visit  Yerevan to continue these negotiations.  In 2004 Tehran and Yerevan  signed a 20-year gas-for-electricity barter agreement. The Republic  of Armenia has been importing gas from Iran since mid-2009. Armenia  is carrying out a barter deal with Iran "gas in exchange for  electricity" at the rate of 1 cubic meter of blue fuel from Iran in  exchange for 3 kWh of electricity from Armenia. Gas supply is carried  out through the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline, and electricity from  Armenia is supplied to Iran through two power transmission lines.