DEFENCE MINISTER OF ARMENIA MEETS WITH IRAN’S AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 3. ARMINFO. During Friday meeting Secretary of
Security Council attached to the president of Armenia, Defence
Minister Serge Sargsian and Ambassador of Iran to Armenia Alireza
Khagigian have discussed the process of peaceful settlement of the
Karabakh conflict.

ARMINFO was informed in the press office of the Defence Ministry of
Armenia, the participants have discussed issues of regional security
and the planned visit of Serge Sargsian to Tehran. The Iranian
diplomat expressed readiness to organize courses of Iranian language
in the Military Institute after Vazgen Sargsian. During the meeting
the interlocutors have stressed the serious progress in the
Armenian-Iranian economic relations, in particular, the construction
of the gas pipe-line Iran-Armenia and construction of a new
high-voltage power transmission line between Armenia and
Iran. According to the Ambassador, the stability and economic
development of Armenia are very important for Iran.

“New ideas concerning the construction of the railway Iran-Armenia and
import of oil product from Iran to Armenia have been proposed during
the last official meetings in the sphere of economic cooperation”,
Alireza Khagigian added. Serge Sargsian welcomed these
initiatives. According to him, if the implementation of these ideas be
possible, then it will have an exclusive importance for
Armenia. Concerning the issue of programs of individual partnership
with NATO, the minister again mentioned that the agenda of the foreign
policy of Armenia does not include the issue on the republic’s
accession to NATO.