SERGE SARGSIAN HAILS NEW IDEAS REGARDING ARMENIAN-IRANIAN COOPERATION
IN SPHERE OF ECONOMY

YEREVAN, December 3 (Noyan Tapan). The problems of regional security,
the process of the settlement of the Karabakh problem were discussed
during the December 3 meeting of RA Minister of Defense Serge
Sargsian, Secretary of the RA National Security Council, with
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Iran to Armenia Ali
Reza Haqiqian. The issue of the upcoming visit of the Minister to Iran
was also touched upon. Ambassador Haqiqian expressed readiness in
connection with the organization of Persian language classes at the
Military Institute after Vazgen Sargsian. Minister Sargsian hailed
this proposal and expressed an opinion that this will be the second
center of profound study of Persian in Armenia after the Yerevan State
University. According to Colonel Seiran Shahsuvarian, the Spokesman of
the RA Ministry of Defense, the sides also touched upon issues
regarding the serious progress in Armenian-Iranian economic
cooperation observed during the recent period, the construction of the
Iran-Armenia gas pipeline that started on November 30, in particular,
the construction of the new two-way electricity transmission line
between Iran and Armenia. “Armenia’s stability and economic
development are quite important for Iran,” mentioned Ambassador
Haqiqian. “The new ideas of Armenian-Iranian cooperation in the sphere
of economy were born during the recent official meetings, in particular,
regarding the construction of Iran-Armenia railroad, delivery of oil
products from Iran to Armenia,” he added. Serge Sargsian hailed these
approaches, called them brilliant and mentioned that if the
realization of these ideas is possible, they will be of great
importance for Armenia. Touching upon the individual programs of
partnership with NATO, the RA Minister of Defense once again stressed
that no issue of membership in NATO is on Armenia’s foreign policy
agenda.