YEREVAN – Ali Akbar Ahmadian, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, reaffirmed Iran’s support for Armenia’s stance on transport links with Azerbaijan during talks with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan on Thursday.
Ahmadian arrived in the Armenian capital the previous night from Baku, where he met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. This meeting occurred a day after Aliyev renewed threats to forcibly open a land corridor to Azerbaijan’s Nakhichevan exclave through Syunik, the only Armenian province bordering Iran. Official readouts of the Baku meeting did not mention this issue.
According to the Armenian government’s press office, Pashinyan and Ahmadian discussed, among other topics, Yerevan’s “Crossroads of Peace” project. The initiative aims to serve as a framework for opening the Armenian-Azerbaijani border to travel and commerce. The project stipulates that Armenia and Azerbaijan should retain full control over transport infrastructure within their respective territories.
“Ali Akbar Ahmadian noted that Iran supports the implementation of the project based on the principles enshrined in it,” the Armenian government’s statement read.
The Armenian Prime Minister highlighted the symbolic nature of Ahmadian being the first high-ranking foreign official to visit Armenia in the new year, emphasizing the deep and significant character of Armenian-Iranian relations. Pashinyan stated that Armenia and Iran share inviolable natural interests, underscoring his government’s commitment to fostering and expanding bilateral cooperation in all areas.
Ahmadian, in turn, praised the rich civilizational history shared by Armenia and Iran, along with the warm ties between their peoples, expressing confidence that mutually beneficial cooperation would continue to strengthen and deepen.
The Iranian Mehr news agency reported that during a separate meeting with his Armenian counterpart, Armen Grigoryan, Ahmadian reiterated Iran’s opposition to “any geopolitical changes in the region.” He also asserted that “nothing can undermine or change” Armenian-Iranian relations.
Ahmadian’s visits to Baku and Yerevan come amid growing concerns in Armenia about a potential Azerbaijani invasion aimed at forcibly opening the so-called corridor.
