Top officials from Armenia and Iran pledge to expand the bilateral cooperation on the basis of the deeply rooted friendship between the two countries.

At a meeting in Yerevan Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan and Iran’s First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri discussed a wide range of issued related to the expansion of trade and economic relations, energy projects, transport infrastructures, the perspectives of cooperation in the fields of agriculture, education and culture.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the Armenian Prime Minister said they  discussed the construction of the third high-voltage power line, which is expected to e completed by 2018. They also agreed on the future steps connected with the construction of Meghri HPP and gas distribution network in Armenian villages bordering Iran. The parties referred to the North-South highway and the Armenia-Iran rail project, stressing their key role in the improvement of regional cooperation and economic growth.

PM Hovik Abrahamyn assured of the willingness of the Armenian Government to contribute to the establishment and deepening of cooperation between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), particularly in the context of a future free trade agreement.

The Armenian PM praised the positive momentum reached in the talks on Iran’s nuke program and stressed that agreements reached within that framework will benefit the region, contribute to regional and international security and steady development, as well as open perspectives for the development of bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

Iran’s First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri noted, in turn, that “there is no obstacle for the development of relations between the two countries.”

“The success achieved within the framework of 5+1 talks creates new and positive conditions for the development of relations and opens new spheres for the development of bilateral economic cooperation,” he said.

He said construction of the third high-voltage power line that had been halted for a while is currently under way and will be completed in the shortest term.

“We held discussions on the railway and cargo transportation, and we are confident we’ll link the Persian Gulf to the Black Sea within the framework of cooperation with other countries of the region,” the Vice-President said.

He added that Armenia’s accession to EEU opens a new window from the perspective of development of economic relations between the two countries.