H. ABRAHAMYAN MEETS PRESIDENT OF IRAN MAHMUD AHMADINEZHAD IN TEHRAN
ARMENPRESS
OCTOBER 1, 2009
YEREVAN
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 1, ARMENPRESS: Within the framework of his official
visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran on September 30 the Armenian NA
Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan met the President of Iran Mahmud Ahmadinezhad,
the Speaker of Parliament of Iraq Ayad al Samara as well as visited
national establishments of Iranian-Armenians and talked to the
representatives of Armenian community in that state.
Public relations department of Armenian Parliament told Armenpress
that in the evening September 30 the meeting of the NA Speaker Hovik
Abrahamyan with the President of Iran Mahmud Ahmadinezhad took place.
Conveying the warm greetings of Armenian President to his Iranian
counterpart Mr. Abrahamyan expressed the gratification of the
Armenian side on the warm Armenian-Iranian relations and development
of practical cooperation. In this context the NA Speaker highly
assessed the role of Parliaments of the two states in enhancement
and consolidation of the cooperation.
The interlocutors also discussed the agreements reached between the
presidents of the two states during the Armenian President Serzh
Sargsian’s official visit to Iran in April this year as well as the
issues of implementation of the projects indicated by them putting a
special stress on the project of the new railway connecting Armenia
and Iran with each other.
The sides also referred to the steps to be conducted towards their
implementation. They in details discussed the issues of regional
security.
Before visiting the Iranian President the NA Speaker visited
the Iranian Parliament where the Speakers of Armenian and Iranian
Parliaments Hovik Abrahamian and Ali Larijani signed a memorandum of
mutual understanding.
In the afternoon September 30 the Speaker of Armenian Parliament met
the Speaker of Iraqi Parliament Ayad al Samara who was also paying
visit to Tehran. Mr. Abrahamian pointed out to the traditional warm
relations between Armenian and Iraqi people and suggested to ree h
was broken as a result of the crisis in Iraq in 2003. The Speaker
of Iraqi Parliament admitted the proposal. He highly assessed the
role of Iraqi-Armenian community in the life of his state stressing
that it can naturally contribute to the intercourse between the two
states. In the morning September 30 the delegation headed by the
NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamian visited the mausaleum of the founder of
Islamic Republic of Iran Imam Khomeini. H. Abrahamian put flowers to
his memory and made note in the book of the guests.
The same day the NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamian visited the Primat Church
of the Armenian Diocese in Tehran St. Saris. There he put flowers
on the memory stone to the victims of Armenian Genocide, then had a
meeting with the representatives of Iranian-Armenian community.
Referring to the process of regulation of Armenian-Turkish relations
Mr. Abrahamian said: "We understand the trouble of our brothers
and sisters in Diaspora. I assure you that the Armenian authorities
will never allow the process of recognition of Armenian Genocide to
be dependent upon Armenian-Turkish regulation. On the same way the
conditioning of these relations with regulation of Artsakh issue is
also unacceptable. Neither the recognition of the Armenian Genocide
and nor the issue of free self-determination of Artsakh people are
liable to bargaining.
On September 30 a reception was organized in the "Ararat"
sport-cultural complex of Tehran on the 18th anniversary of Armenian
independence in which the delegation of Armenian Parliament also
took part.
Early in the morning of October 1 the delegation headed by the NA
Speaker Hovik Abrahamian returned from Tehran to Yerevan.