ARMENIAN, IRANIAN LEADERS DISCUSS PRESSING REGIONAL ISSUES

AzerNews Weekly
April 15 2009
Azerbaijan

Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian visiting Iran on Monday discussed
with his counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the Armenia-Azerbaijan
Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict and the process of normalizing his
country`s strained relations with Turkey.

Sarkisian thanked Tehran for its balanced policy on the Garabagh
settlement, Armenian media reported. Both presidents positively
assessed ongoing peace talks and progress observed in negotiations
aiming to forge political dialog between Yerevan and Ankara. The two
leaders stressed the importance of solving all outstanding problems
in peace, terming cooperation and stability as key factors for the
well-being and development of the regional nations.

Ahmadinejad and Sarkisian stated that their countries share views
on issues of both regional and global scale. They emphasized that
Iran-Armenia cooperation was pivotal in the backdrop of the changes
taking place around the world, saying peace and friendship in the
turbulent region could prevail only with joint efforts of all states
involved.

The Armenian leader extended his gratitude to Iran, calling it a
reliable neighbor and "a friend through tough times." Sarkisian said
Iran has provided great assistance to the development of Armenia
since the republic gained independence. He recalled the country`s
help when the South Caucasus republic faced blockade during the
Georgian-Ossetian military conflict in August 2008.

"The relations between Yerevan and Tehran should be expanded and the
level of our cooperation increased," Sarkisian said.

Ahmadinejad, for his part, said Armenia`s development would be
advantageous for the region. "Armenia`s prosperity, development and
stability benefit the entire region."

Further, the Iranian president called for broadening the two countries`
relations in a variety of fields, in particular, trade, transport and
the energy sector. "Developing relations with Armenia is a priority
direction in Iran`s foreign policy."

Another issue that topped the agenda of the presidential talks was
construction of a railway line to link Iran and Armenia. The sides
signed a final memorandum on implementing the project in conclusion
of Sarkisian`s visit on Tuesday.

Iran and Armenia signed a preliminary MoU on the railway line
in Yerevan on April 3, confirming their interest in creating a
direct rail link between the two countries. The route will allow
Armenia to transport energy resources and other commodities to other
countries. The railway line will be 470 km long, of which 60 km will
lie in Iran and 410 km in Armenia. Under the $1 billion project,
the rail line is expected to take up to five years to build.

Armenia remains sidelined from regional projects due to its policy of
aggression against Azerbaijan and has a railway link only with Georgia.

Transport Minister Gurgen Sarkisian, who accompanied the Armenian
president during his visit, told Iranian media that Russia has stated
its readiness to participate in various stages of the project.