Iran stands with all its friends in hard times, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said hosting an Armenian parliamentary delegation led by Speaker Alen Simonyan on Thursday.

“We are there for all our friends in tough times. On our happy days everybody can be next to everybody, but the real companionship and friendship are displayed during the hardships,” the Armenian National Assembly quoted his as saying.

Raisi attached importance to the cooperation of the legislative bodies in strengthening of the current warm relations between Armenia and Iran.

The officials referred to the bilateral economic relations and the implementation of the joint infrastructure projects.

The Armenian side highly values the mutual agreements in the spheres of energy and transport, the parliament speaker said.

“I should also note that in the context of the development of transport communications the establishment of the railway link between Armenia and Iran is among issues high on our agenda,” Simonyan noted.

He briefed the Iranian leader on the situation in the wake of the war unleashed against Artsakh by the Azerbaijani-Turkish tandem, the humanitarian problems and the issue of protection of the Armenian historical and cultural heritage fallen under Azerbaijan’s control. Alen underscored that Azerbaijani authorities destroy the valuable heritage, and Iran can serve as an example to Azerbaijan regarding the matter.

At the meeting, the consistent efforts made by Iran in establishing peace and stability in the region were highlighted.