IRAN CALLS FOR PROMOTION OF COOPERATION WITH ARMENIA

Fars News Agency, Iran
Dec 18 2006

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stressed
that Tehran and Yerevan should utilize their abundant potentials to
increase mutual cooperation in all areas.

According to a statement released by the Presidential Press Office,
Ahmadinejad made the remarks in a meeting with Armenian Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian here on Sunday.

During the meeting, Ahmadinejad noted the two countries’ ties that are
developing and deepening, and called for the utilization of all the
potentials existing on both sides to further increase Tehran-Yerevan
cooperation.

He further viewed consolidated ties among neighboring states as an
influential factor in the exaltation of regional nations, reiterating
that the expansion of cooperation and communications among neighboring
and regional countries, including Iran and Armenia, serves regional
peace and security and progress of the two nations.

Pointing to Iran-Armenia cooperation in various spheres, including
transfer of energy and transportation, the Iranian president stressed
the need for the speeding up of implementation of the two countries’
mutual agreements, including those pertaining to the transfer of
Iran’s natural gas to Armenia via pipeline, which he said serves
regional peace, friendship and development.

For his part, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian assessed mutual
exchange of visits by the two countries’ officials as effective in
the expansion of Tehran-Yerevan relations, and said that his country
attaches special significance to the development of all-out ties
with Iran.

The top diplomat also stressed that construction and completion of
the natural gas pipeline plays a vitally important role in securing
Armenia’s energy needs.