13
04, 2009

President Serzh Sargsyan’s official visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran

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At the invitation of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on April 13 the President of the Republic of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan arrived on a two-day official visit to Iran.
This is the first visit of Serzh Sargsyan to Iran in his capacity as President of Armenia.

At the Mehrabad airport of Tehran after the official welcoming ceremony Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad held a private meeting, which was followed by the negotiations in the extended format.

The Presidents of the two states hailed the high level of bilateral relations viewing them as promising, expressed satisfaction with the current level of political dialogue, underlined their readiness to further expand the interstate relations, noting that this kind of visits and active contacts provide opportunities to discuss and find solutions to different issues on the action-packed Armenian-Iranian agenda.

President Serzh Sargsyan said that Armenia attaches special importance to the dynamic development of its relations with Iran, viewing it as a reliable and pivotal neighbor and a friend in need. He expressed gratitude for friendly assistance in importing to Armenia via Iran’s territory goods of first necessity not only during the first years of Armenia’s independence but also during last August events. In his turn, President Ahmadinejad assessed constant deepening of the relations with Armenia as one of its country’s foreign policy priorities. “It is necessary to maintain and augment our achievements,” noted the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad underscored that centuries-long Armenian-Iranian relations contribute to the strengthening of peace and stability in our region. “Consideration of major infrastructure projects is the best evidence to our aspirations for further expansion and deepening of our friendly relations. I am confident that the reached agreements will become documents, implementation of which will make our friendship even stronger,” stressed the President of Armenia. The Presidents of Armenia and Iran highlighted the importance of the Armenian-Iranian community in strengthening bilateral relations.

At the high-level Armenian-Iranian meeting discussed were also issues pertaining to further expansion of trade and economic cooperation, increase of trade turnover, construction of the Iran-Armenia railroad, joint construction of a hydropower station on Araks River, as well as different programs in the areas of energy, transportation, and trade. The parties discussed also regional issues.

At the request of the President of Iran, the President of Armenia spoke about the latest developments in the Armenian-Turkish political dialogue and the NK peace process. The two sides stressed the importance of solving all problems through peaceful negotiations, viewing cooperation, peace and security as important prerequisites for the well being and prosperity of the peoples of the region. President Sargsyan expressed gratitude to President Ahmadinejad for Iran’s constantly balanced position toward the NK conflict resolution.

President Serzh Sargsyan and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the negotiations.

Later that day, the President of Armenia had a meeting with Iran's Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani. The two sides praised the works of the parliamentary group on the Armenian-Iranian friendship, highlighting the importance of interparliamentary cooperation in strengthening and promoting friendship between the two nations. Speaking about programs discussed during the high-level meeting, the Speaker of Majlis noted that they were realistic and doable. At the request of Ali Larijani, President Serzh Sargsyan spoke about the anticrisis measures undertaken by the Armenian Government. The parties exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues.

Late afternoon on April 13, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gave an official dinner in honor of the President of the Republic of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan.

On April 14, the second day of his official visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran, President Serzh Sargsyan met with the Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, Saeed Jalily. President Sargsyan and Saeed Jalily mentioned with satisfaction the atmosphere of mutual trust and dynamically developing relations of the two friendly states since the first years of Armenia’s independence, as well as the high level of political dialogue and busy agenda of cooperation.

The parties hailed success in the areas of energy, transportation, economy and others and expressed confidence that the implementation of the envisaged major infrastructure projects would further promote the Armenian-Iranian friendship. Serzh Sargsyan and Saeed Jalily stressed the importance of cooperation between the National Security Councils of the two states.

In Tehran the President of Armenia met also with the Spiritual Leader of the IRI, Sayyed Ali Khamenei. The President of Armenia and the Spiritual Leader of Iran expressed confidence that only a region anchored on peace, stability and mutually beneficial cooperation could bring development and prosperity to the peoples living there. Praising Sayyed Ali Khamenei’s contribution to the development of the Armenian-Iranian relations, President Serzh Sargsyan expressed gratitude to the Spiritual Leader of Iran for his considerate attitude toward the preservation of the Armenian historical and cultural heritage in Iran.

Later, President Serzh Sargsyan and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, summarizing the two day discussions at the press conference, praised the outcome of the official visit which resulted in signing in the presence of the two Presidents of the agreements on cooperation and implementation of large-scale projects in the areas of economy, transportation, trade, and banking.

In the framework of his visit, President Serzh Sargsyan visited also the tomb of the founder and leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Khomeini, laid a wreath at his tomb and signed the book of the mausoleum’s honorary visitors.

President of Armenia concluded his two-day official visit to Iran with a warm meeting with over 3000 representatives of the Armenian-Iranian community at the Ararat cultural and recreational center where Serzh Sargsyan addressed the audience.

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