ARMENIAN EXPERTS SAYS SANCTIONS MAY AFFECT TIES WITH IRAN

Mediamax
Feb 9 2010
Armenia

Yerevan, 9 February: Armenian-Iranian economic cooperation may be
affected by the possible toughening of international sanctions against
Iran, professor Garnik Asatryan, head of the Iran studies department
at Yerevan State University, said in Yerevan today, Mediamax reports.

He said that this places under threat the construction of a rail
road between the two countries and the implementation of other large
projects.

Asatryan believes that Armenia needs to develop comprehensive
cooperation with Iran. "However, trade and construction of buildings
consist a large part of economic cooperation, and the spheres of
science, education and culture is the least developing part of
cooperation", Asatryan said.

He expressed confidence that Iran’s nuclear programme has a peaceful
nature and did not rule out the possibility of cooperation between
Armenia and Iran in the nuclear power sphere too.

Asatryan expressed regret that under pressure of pro-Azerbaijani
forces, the Iranian authorities made a decision at the end of 2009 on
the non-recognition of the diplomas granted by the Armenian higher
educational institutions in Iran. Meanwhile, Asatryan noted that
higher education received in Armenia is of higher quality than the
one received in Azerbaijan and Tajikistan, where Iranian students
have been heading for education in the recent years.

Asatryan also said that Iran is interested in both peaceful solution
to the Karabakh conflict and normalization of Armenian-Turkish
relations. He noted that a free economic zone is currently being
formed outside Iran’s town of Julfa and official Tehran is interested
in attracting all countries of the region to cooperation in this zone.