TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian spoke on the phone with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan about a variety of bilateral and regional topics. According to the Iranian foreign ministry, they spoke over the phone on bilateral ties, economic cooperation, the Joint Economic Commission of the two countries, the ECO summit, and regional and international developments. Iran-Armenia relations are strong and progressing, according to Amir Abdollahian, who calls for the strengthening of ties in several spheres.
In the telephone conversation, the top Iranian diplomat underscored the Islamic Republic’s policy to not accept any change in the borders of regional countries. Amir Abdollahian also voiced concern over the recent hostilities in the Caucasus region and urged restraint and respect for the territorial integrity of regional countries. The Armenian foreign minister also referred to the proposed roadmap in relations between Iran and Armenia which was emphasized during his recent visit to Tehran. Mirzoyan said Yerevan is ready to hold the Joint Economic Commission and expand trade ties with Tehran.
He expressed satisfaction with the growing trend in ties between Tehran and Yerevan over the recent months and underlined the importance of expanding cooperation in political, economic and other fields. Iran’s foreign minister declared Iranian companies are ready to boost their activities in Armenia, expressing hope that the Joint Economic Commission of Iran and Armenia will convene as soon as possible. Amir Abdollahian voices concern over the recent hostilities in the Caucasus region.
Foreign Minister Mirzoyan appreciated the Islamic Republic of Iran’s policy to respect the territorial integrity of countries and described it as important. Mirzoyan stressed Armenia’s resolve to boost relations in all fields with Iran and renewed his invitation to Amir Abdollahian to visit Armenia. The Armenian foreign ministry also issued a statement on the call, briefly touching on the issues discussed by the two ministers. It said Amir Abdollahian and Mirzoyan “discussed issues of mutual interest related to regional security.”
It concluded, “The Foreign Ministers of the two countries also touched upon a number of issues of multifaceted cooperation between Armenia and Iran, expressing readiness to make efforts for further deepening the relations. They emphasized the importance of high-level reciprocal visits. The interlocutors exchanged views on expanding the contacts in the fields of trade, economy, infrastructure and energy. Implementation of directed work aimed at the multilateral agreement on the establishment of the ‘Persian Gulf-Black Sea’ international transport corridor was also emphasized.”
The Armenian statement said, “Minister Mirzoyan presented in detail to his counterpart the situation resulting from the recent aggression of the Azerbaijani armed forces against Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He added that Azerbaijani aggression against Armenia is a serious threat to the efforts aimed at establishing security and stability in the region.” Mirzoyan highly appreciated Iran’s position on territorial integrity and inviolability of the borders of Armenia, according to the statement.
Iran has long called for respect of international borders in the south Caucasus region amid continued border tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Iran also called on the two countries to settle their decades-long disputes through dialogue. In mid-November, the spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Saeed Khatibzadeh, issued a statement expressing concerns over border clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Khatibzadeh has expressed concern over new military clashes in the border regions of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, and called on the two countries to exercise restraint and refrain from expanding and escalating the conflict. Khatibzadeh stressed the need for countries to respect internationally recognized borders and called on the two sides to resolve their differences through dialog and peaceful means.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman described the current tensions as dangerous for the gradual process of achieving peace and progress in the region. He stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran, as in the past, is ready to help the two sides resolve their disputes and establish stability and security in the region.