YEREVAN–Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday that expansion of economic cooperation will help strengthen the ancient and friendly ties between Iran and Armenia, Iran’s state-run IRNA agency reported.
In a telephone conversation with Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian, Ahmadinejad described the recent meeting of the two countries’ Joint Economic Cooperation Commissions in Yerevan as successful.
“The meeting was an emphasis on consolidating the ancient ties and shows that Tehran and Yerevan are determined further raise the level of bilateral relations,” he said.
Sarkisian, for his part, said that holding the commission meeting served as an incentive for promoting economic cooperation.
“Iranian companies’ participation in the Armenian projects contribute to the deepening friendship between the two nations,” he said, according to IRNA.
Last week Armenia and Iran vowed to boost economic cooperation, increase bilateral trade and speed up joint energy projects including a hydro-electric power plant on their shared border.
“The high level of political relations between the countries requires corresponding activity in the economic sphere too,” Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisian said at a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Majid Namjoo.
Movsisian said that construction of the hydro-electric power plant on the Arax river would begin in November.
The problems hampering the construction of the Armenia-Iran third high voltage line have been resolved, Iranian co-chairman of the Armenian-Iranian intergovernmental commission, Namjoo said last week.
“The problems and obstacles have been eliminated, so at present, the Iranian contractor must make every effort to build this line,” Namjoo said after signing the Memorandum of Understanding following the eleventh meeting of the Commission in Yerevan.
Movsisian said that Namjoo’s appointment as a co-chairman of the commission has given a new impetus to the implementation of programs, particularly the process of building a power line which will be completed rapidly.
According to the Energy Ministry, a new power line from Iran to Armenia is being constructed by Iranian company Sanir. The project cost is estimated at 100-105 million euros.
Yerevan and Tehran have agreed to hold discussions on the construction of Iranian-Armenian railway, Iran’s co-chairman of the Armenian-Iranian intergovernmental commission, Energy Minister Namjoo said.
“There is an agreement for Armenia and Iran to discuss various issues related to the construction of the railway with the participation of all concerned sides,” Namjoo said.
He said that Armenian and Iranian sides pay great attention to the railway construction.
The North-South railway (Iran-Armenia) will allow the Armenia to use the alternative route of transporting energy resources and other goods. According to the expert estimates, around $1.7-2.8 billion are required to implement the project. Russia, Iran and China are discussing the railway construction.
The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have expressed interest in the project.
Good to see that the Government is taking some steps towards improving their infrastructure, now its time for them to reacquire all the other assets they sold off to the Russians for basically nothing and hopefully the Armenian government can speed up the other infrastructure projects and establish the railway system to the Persian Gulf….As much as we need Russia, we have to fully secure our independence and diversify our outlets to the outside world.
Iran is the only Islamic nation that Armenians have lived in & have never faced persecaution, sure there were alwaus issues, but we have always had freedom of religion, freedom to teach our children our language, have our schools & as far as I know our Churches have always been protected.
The same cannot be said about Turkey, Azerbajian, Syria, Iraq or Egypt.
The ties are truly ancient, and the Iranian people have a genuine respect for their Armenian citizens, there are Armenian & Jewish representitives in the parliment & Iranian Jews are one of the oldest Iranian commuinities with at least a presence of 2000 years in Iran, wityh their schools & rights to religious freedom. I am not in any way supporting or commenting on the issues of the curent regieme, I am simply stating facts about minority rights.
Multiplying Ties = Diversifying Degrees of Freedom.
It is truly amazing,two countrys find accord,agree,carry on.It is truly amazing,two countrys cowardly,mongolic,stance,cant,agree to disagree,jerky turkey,and a little brother azerbaturk,that my country,the U.S.A. supports.Really sport fans,am I missing something.
SPORT FANS??? Hmmmmmm… Maybe you ARE missing something, good brother Alex! But I think you mean well.
Alex you have to realise. USA is controlled by Masonic Jews who hate Armenians. That is why USA supports Turkey and Azerbaijan. Israel is supplying advance arms to Azerbaijan. We Armenians have to develop our country and use our scientific minds to develop advance technologies that even Israel does not have. We can do it and that is why the Jews hate us.
I agree with you, Fred.
You probably believe the Earth is flat too.
The reason the US and the West support Turkey is because it blocks Russia from expanding. It is all about Russia. The West and US don’t want Russia to control more land and resources. This conflict goes back to the Anglo-Russia War: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Russian_War_(1807-1812)
This is the only reason why the West supports Turkey.
neighbours must have good relationship. Specially for Armenia, since the Turks & azerbaijan who are fully supported by the U.S. are trying to suffocate Armenia.