Iran lauds ties with Armenia

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has hailed Iran’s relations with Armenia and calls for further expansion of ties with the northwestern neighbor.

“In its foreign policy, Iran attaches great importance to ties with neighbors, and Armenia occupies a special place in this context,” Mottaki said in an interview with the online Armenian news agency, Panarmenian.net, on Thursday.

The top Iranian diplomat further said that, “Real progress has been registered in Armenian-Iranian relations and in the economic sphere in particular.”

Mottaki also confirmed that “final agreements” have been reached for the construction of a major hydroelectric power station on the Aras River which marks the Armenian-Iranian border.

Earlier in July, Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisian had said that work on the two projects as well as the planned construction of a pipeline that will pump Iranian fuel to Armenia is slated to begin by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, the Iranian foreign minister reaffirmed Iran’s readiness to mediate talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan in order to help resolve the dispute over the breakaway Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Mottaki pointed out that “regional conflicts should be settled by regional countries.”