Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, left, with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian

Pashinyan Attends Inauguration of New Iranian President, Meets with Khamenei

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TEHRAN — Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan participated in the official inauguration ceremony of the newly elected President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran on July 30. During the visit, he had one-on-one meetings with both Pezeshkian and Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Seyed Ali Khamenei.

Pezeshkian thanked Pashinyan for accepting the invitation and coming to Iran on a working visit. Pezeshkian added that Iran values the continuous development of relations with Armenia in the political, economic and humanitarian spheres.

Pashinyan, in turn, thanked Pezeshkian for his warm hospitality and once again congratulated him on his election as the president of the Republic of Iran. He emphasized that multilateral cooperation with Iran is of great importance for our country, which is based on mutual respect and understanding.

Pezeshkian, reaffirming the previously reached agreements at a high level, noted. “The centuries-old friendship, historical and cultural close relations of our two peoples are the basis for the further development of bilateral cooperation. We are ready to continue our dialogue with joint efforts and further enrich the bilateral cooperation agenda.”

“The fact that I am here today is proof of our commitment to deepen relations between Armenia and Iran at the highest level, to strengthen cooperation,” said Pashinyan.

Pezeshkian noted that maintaining peace in the region is of key importance for Iran, adding that the Iranian side also considers it necessary to settle all issues through dialogue.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, left, with Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Seyed Ali Khamenei

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Pashinyan emphasized the involvement of the Iranian side in the construction of the North-South highway, in particular, the Agarak-Kajaran section. The importance of the steps taken to modernize the Armenia-Iran border checkpoint was also emphasized.

The leaders of Armenia and Iran discussed a wide range of issues related to the strengthening of trade and economic ties, and also referred to issues related to the implementation of new joint programs in the fields of healthcare, the latest technologies, education, science, and culture.

Pezeshkian noted that he had made a private visit to Armenia and has warm impressions of the country and people.

Khamenei, during the meeting with Pashinyan, underlined that the Islamic Republic of Iran has a definite and firm policy of expanding relations with its neighbors, particularly Armenia. “We are firmly committed to developing relations with Armenia, and the cooperation between the two countries will continue strongly based on defined mutual interests, independent of the policies of others.”

Khamenei emphasized the importance of maintaining the territorial integrity of Armenia and affirmed that the Islamic Republic of Iran views the Zangezur corridor as detrimental to Armenia, reaffirming its steadfast position on this matter.

Khamenei emphasized that foreign powers should not impose restrictions on the relationships between countries and their neighbors. He added that what ensures the security and well-being of nations is reliance on oneself and one’s close allies. He further noted that the actions of some who interfere in the affairs of other countries from afar ultimately proves detrimental to those countries.

He also noted the good relations between the people of Iran and the Armenian community within the country, emphasizing that “Armenians in Iran played a significant role during the Imposed War, and I have personally visited the homes of many Armenians.”

Pashinyan described the relations between Iran and Armenia as strategic and expressed happiness over the expansion and diversification of the two countries’ relations. He emphasized the significance of maintaining this positive trend.

 

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