ARMENIAN PRESIDENT VISITS IRAN TO BOOST BILATERAL TIES
by Grace Annan

World Markets Research Centre
Global Insight
April 14, 2009

Yesterday, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan started his official
two-day visit to Iran. The president aims to boost economic and
diplomatic ties between the two countries; to this end, he will meet
the most senior political figures in Iran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah
Khomeini, President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, the speaker of the parliament
Ali Larijani and the secretary of the Supreme National Security
Council Saeed Jalili.

Significance:Ties between neighbouring countries Armenia and Iran are
strong; in November last year, officials of the two countries signed
ten agreements on more co-operation in the areas of politics, economics
and security. As for the latter, Sargsyan hopes for greater support by
Iranian officials in the fight against Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh
and spill-over effects of the Russo-Georgian diplomatic and military
stalemate. Infrastructure will feature highly on the agenda during
Sargsyan’s visit; earlier this month, Armenian and Iranian government
representatives signed a deal to construct a 470-km long railway
worth $1US.2 billion to link the border areas–of which most (410
kilometres) will be in Armenia–in the coming five years. Further,
the two administrations are aiming to boost energy ties; the two
sides signed an agreement to this end in December 2008; the Armenian
government started to construct a pipeline worth $240US million to
import from the Tabriz oil refinery in Iran in late March 2009.