Ties Between Armenia and Iran are “Positive” and “Bright”

TEHRAN — Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian viewed the prospects of ties between his country and Iran as “positive” and “bright”, and further asked for the expansion of the relations between the two states.
Speaking in a press conference after his talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi in Tehran on Saturday, Nalbandian expressed pleasure in his visit to Iran and his talks with senior Iranian officials.
He said during his satisfactory talks with Salehi, the two sides discussed bilateral ties and exchanged views over the latest developments in the region.
Nagorno-Karabakh was also reportedly on the agenda of Nalbandian’s talks with the Iranian Foreign Minister. The Armenian minister again praised the Islamic Republic’s “balanced” stance on the dispute.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry said Salehi asked Nalbandian to brief him on the latest developments in Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations mediated by the United States, Russia and France.
After his meeting with Nalbandian, president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reiterated Iran’s strong interest in expanding its “historic, deep and friendly” relations with Armenia.
Ahmadinejad reportedly called for a faster implementation of more Armenian-Iranian energy projects. Official Iranian sources quoted him as saying they will bolster peace and stability in the region.
“We can expand the existing relations by up to three times,” Ahmadinejad told Nalbandian late on Saturday, according to the Mehr news agency.
Another Iranian news agency, IRNA, quoted him as repeating his earlier remark that Tehran is placing “no limitations” on the development of bilateral ties “in all areas.”
A statement by the Armenian Foreign Ministry said the two men agreed on the need for a “further development of the mutually beneficial relations.”
“The course of the implementation of joint economic projects was discussed during the meeting,” added the statement. It gave no details.
The projects include the construction of two hydroelectric plants on the Arax river marking the Armenian-Iranian border and a pipeline that will ship Iranian fuel to Armenia. The two governments also plan to build a third high-voltage transmission line connecting their power grids.
The Armenian government has repeatedly said that work on these facilities will start this year. However, there have been no official announcements to that effect yet.
Ahmadinejad spoke of “technical and financial problems” hampering the implementation of those projects. According to Mehr, he said they should be overcome “as soon as possible.”