Armenian and Iranian Foreign Ministry officials meet in Yerevan

YEREVAN—On Friday, Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian received a delegation of Iranian lawmakers led by Ali Kaidi.

Minister Nalbandian hailed the good, neighborly relations between Armenia and Iran and emphasized the importance of regular political dialogue between both executive and legislative authorities.

The head of the Iranian delegation conveyed the greetings of Iran’s Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani to the Armenian Foreign Minister. He noted that the centuries-old friendly relations between Armenia and Iran provide a good basis for the development of cooperation in different spheres.

The parties attached importance to the role of Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Groups for the reinforcement and expansion of relations between the two countries.

Minister Nalbandian expressed gratitude for the kind attitude of the authorities towards the Iranian Armenian community and the Armenian cultural heritage in Iran. He also stressed the importance of the presence of Armenian MPs in the Iranian Parliament.

Ali Kaidi briefed the Armenian Foreign Minister on Iran’s nuclear program and the negotiations on the issue.

On June 11-12 political consultations between Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Iran were held in Armenia. The consultations were headed by Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs Shavarsh Kocharyan and Ibrahim Rahimpour.

The issues of intensification of political dialogue between the two countries, and of enhancing cooperation in energy, trade-economic, humanitarian fields, as well as in the framework of international organizations were on the agenda of the consultations. The implementation of joint economic projects was also discussed.

The sides exchanged views on several international and regional issues. Deputy Minister Kocharyan presented the efforts of Armenia and OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs towards the settlement of the Karabakh issue.

Deputy Minister Rahimpour briefed his Armenian counterpart on the recent developments of the negotiation process on Iran’s nuclear program.