Iran and Armenia Will Not Allow Creation of Corridor – Ambassador Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri

YEREVAN — Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri said that the leaders of Armenia and Iran are closely following the regional developments. The Ambassador said that in this context Armenia and Iran must have a special agenda.

“Armenia and Iran are and will be neighbors. Of course, we see some ruse, they speak about so-called corridors and some actions, but Iran and Armenia will not allow the creation of such corridor,” the Iranian ambassador said.

He added that the stance of both the Iranian and Armenian sides is very clear. “We must also be proactive. We must see what new steps we can take. We shouldn’t wait for a new idea to come up, for example, about the opening of a corridor, for us to start deciding what position to adopt. We shouldn’t allow such thing,” he said.

He said the establishment of the Iranian consulate-general in Kapan is an exemplary action in this regard, as well as the upcoming opening of the Armenian consulate in Tabriz.

Iran and Armenia concur around principles such as the need to respect international borders, peaceful resolution of disputes, need to respect the rights and security of the peoples in the region and collective efforts for having a stable region, the Iranian Ambassador said at the Armenia-Iran Relations in Context of Common Interests forum dedicated to the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

“The similar views and matching common interests of the two countries created a new situation in our relations. The concurrence and political consultations between the leaders of the two countries have reached an unprecedented level. Almost all high-level officials of the two countries met with their counterparts at least once in the past one year and further exchange of views between the parties continued in various directions. The continuity of this process is definitely a necessity,” the Iranian ambassador said.

Ambassador Zohouri said commercial ties grew significantly as a result of the implementation of the Iran-EEU privileged trade agreement signed in 2015. He said the agreement will pave the way for further strengthening trade relations.

He attached importance to the broad partnership between the two countries in infrastructure issues.

“The situation resulting from the problems in the Goris-Kapan route, which, of course, was followed by the Armenian government’s significant efforts in direction of building an alternative road, proved that we need convenient and safe roads. We hope that in the next years the picture of transport route between Iran and Armenia will change significantly. We are sure that high-quality transport routes between Iran and Armenia will be effective in terms of elevating the positions of the two countries in the international arena. A threat against the international transport route passing through Iran and Armenia will constitute a threat not only against Iran and Armenia, but also other beneficiaries of that transport route,” the Ambassador said.

In conclusion, the Iranian Ambassador said that Armenia’s independence in 1991 opened a new door for the Armenian-Iranian relations, and political relations were officially established 31 years ago. Despite the turmoil in the region and in the world in the past three decades, the leaderships of the two countries highly appreciate the bilateral relations, the ambassador said.

The ambassador said he is ready to provide any assistance to deepen and strengthen cultural and intellectual relations.