Iranian president highlights importance of signed documents in Armenia

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
8 Sep 04

[Presenter] President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mohammad
Khatami is on a two-day official visit in Yerevan at the invitation
of Armenian President Robert Kocharyan. [Passage omitted: depiction
of welcome ceremony]

Our region needs stability, Iranian President Khatami said in
Yerevan. He believes that the development of science and education
guarantees security. Khatami spoke more about economic issues
in Armenian-Iranian relations and many of the documents signed in
Yerevan are manifestation of this. The Iranian leader believes that
his country’s policy is designed to build friendly relations with all
its neighbours. Armenian-Iranian relations could be a good example
for those wishing to coexist peacefully.

[Correspondent] The presidents noted the importance of permanent
consultations of the two countries’ legislative and executive
bodies. The protocol of the fifth session of the Armenian-Iranian
commission on economic cooperation, co-chaired by Artashes
Tumanyan [the head of the Armenian presidential administration] and
[Iranian Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance] Safdar Hoseyni
was also endorsed. A cultural cooperation programme for 2004-2007
was signed. The memorandum on Armenian-Iranian mutual understanding
stipulates cooperation in the customs and energy sectors. [Passage
omitted: covered aspects of Kocharyan’s speech.]

[Khatami, speaking in Persian with Armenian voice-over] We have
common interests in this region which could overshadow differences
of opinion. If we choose the way leading to peace, we shall manage
to resolve all problems.

[Passage omitted: economic cooperation dominates the agenda.]

[Khatami, with Armenian voice-over] Energy and communications are
signs of a country’s development. The major part of our agreements
covers this sectors. Armenia is on the North-South corridor. The more
opportunities Armenia gets in this project, the more the countries
along this corridor would benefit. The North-South corridor connects
Europe with the Caspian Sea. And the more we cooperate in these two
sectors, the more the region’s development would benefit from this.

[Passage omitted: the presidents spoke about Karabakh, the terrorist
attack in North Ossetia.]