The Armenia-Iran Strategic Center and the Armenian National Congress party have signed a memorandum of understanding. The document aims to support the further development and deepening of strategic cooperation between the Republic of Armenia and the Islamic Republic of Iran, Sputnik Armenia reports.
“Relations with Iran have a history spanning thousands of years. Iran is our vital route to the outside world, one could say a ‘road of life.’ That was the case back in the 1990s, and it remains so today. Nothing has changed. Iran connects Armenia to the Global South, to the Indian Ocean. Iran is also valuable to us in terms of trade and economic relations, and it is through this country that we can develop relations with the Global South, linked to its growing economy,” Levon Zurabyan said at a press conference.
According to Zurabyan, Armenia needs both reconciliation and peace with Turkey and Azerbaijan, but he said that process should not be based on unilateral dependence on Azerbaijan.
In his assessment, a number of routes and strategically important facilities within the framework of TRIPP will pass through Azerbaijani territory. The politician argued that such unilateral dependence could be disastrous for Armenia, while Iran could assume an important role in this matter.
Zurabyan also said Armenia should become a connecting link not only between West and East but also between North and South. For this reason, he said, there is significant interest in developing relations with Iran.
He said discussions covered a railway project connecting Armenia and Iran and the possibility of building a high-capacity cable system for data transmission through the territories of both countries. The sides also addressed cooperation in artificial intelligence, with the aim of creating an alternative network in Armenia based on Chinese technologies.
Pouya Hosseini, an Iranian political scientist and founder and head of the Armenia-Iran Strategic Center, emphasized in turn that Armenia is Iran’s most reliable neighbor, ally and partner. According to Hosseini, Armenia’s security has always been important to Iran, just as Iran’s security has been important to Armenia.
“Through this memorandum, we will be able to work with representatives of the Armenian nation, using everyone’s resources for the benefit of developing relations between the two countries. Armenians and Iranians should visit each other’s countries more often, and new forms of cooperation should be established so that we can safely navigate ‘international storms,’” the Iranian political scientist said.
