Ayatollah Raisi: Tehran-Yervan trade ties have grown by 43% over the past months

Speaking in a joint press conference with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Tuesday, Ayatollah Dr Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi described his visit to Tehran as a turning point in improving the relations between the two countries and said, "Developing cooperation and neighbourly relations is one of the policies emphasised by the Popular Administration and in this regard, in the period since the beginning of this government, we had several meetings with Mr Pashinyan and emphasised the development of commercial, economic, political and security relations between the two countries".
Pointing out that the trade relations between Tehran and Yerevan have grown by 43% in the past months, the President added, "In our negotiations, we aimed to increase the level of economic cooperation and trade exchanges between the two countries to $3 billion".
Stating that the existing good relations between the two countries will definitely lead to better relations in the region and at the international level, Dr Raisi said, "The Caucasus region is a part of Iran's history, civilisation and culture, and we are sensitive to the Caucasus region. Security and peace in the Caucasus region is very important for Iran".
The President stated, "During the negotiations with Mr Pashinyan, we reached a common conclusion that regional issues should be resolved by the officials of the regional countries, and any interference by the outsiders in this region will create problems instead of solving them".
Saying that the capacities of the Caucasus region can guarantee stable security and peace in this region, Ayatollah Raisi noted, "We hope that by diligently following up on the agreements made during this trip, a significant step will be taken to promote and develop relations between the two countries of Islamic Iran and Armenia".
Mr Nikol Pashinyan, the Prime Minister of Armenia, also stated in this press conference that during this trip, very comprehensive negotiations were held, and said, "In our negotiations, emphasising the historical and cultural relations and commonalities of the two countries, we mentioned subtleties that lie in all fields of relations between the two countries".
The Prime Minister of Armenia pointed out that in the negotiations with Mr Raisi, we also examined the areas of expansion of economic and political relations between the two countries, and added, "A significant part of our negotiations is about economic relations and increasing the volume of trade exchanges and finding solutions for development of cooperation in the fields of energy, agriculture, infrastructure and water resources management, which should be followed up seriously by the relevant officials of the two countries after the conclusion of the negotiations".
Expressing happiness that today's negotiations regarding the extension of the electricity and gas clearing agreement were fruitful and a memorandum of understanding was signed in this regard by the authorities of the two countries, Pashinyan said, "Based on the available evidence, we can consider today's meetings and consultations useful and I will be happy to host Your Excellency in Armenia to continue these talks".
Appreciating Ayatollah Raisi's stance on the development of relations between the two countries, he stated, "I hope we will soon see the opening of the Iranian Consulate General in Syunik Province of Armenia".
Referring to his talks with the President of Iran regarding regional cooperation, the Prime Minister of Armenia further noted, "There are many capacities for the development of cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Armenia".
Referring to yesterday's tripartite meeting in Sochi, Russia, Pashinyan said, "I told Mr Raisi about this meeting, and in this regard, I agree with Mr President's point of view regarding the establishment of stable peace and security in the region".
He emphasised that Armenia insists that the officials of the Islamic Republic must be informed of all the issues that we raise in the tripartite negotiations. We insist that the Islamic Republic of Iran should have sufficient information and awareness of the developments in the relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the relations between Armenia and Turkey, and the Karabakh issue.
In another part of his speech, the Prime Minister of Armenia thanked the President of Iran for the approach of the Islamic Republic towards the Armenian community of Iran and noted, "The Islamic Republic of Iran should be a clear, transparent and explicit symbol of cooperation and peaceful coexistence between the followers of two different religions".