President Ahmadinejad leaves Yerevan for Tehran

The statement stressed that all nations should respect Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty and the international rules and regulations on prohibition of spread of Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Referring to the talks between Iranian president and his Armenian counterpart on the latest development in the Middle East and North Africa, the statement stressed the importance of national unity amongst people and asked regional governments to respect peoples’ demands.
“Iran nuclear issue should be resolved through diplomatic approach and it has no solution other than diplomatic negotiation,” it said.
Washington and its Western allies accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program, while they have never presented any corroborative evidence to substantiate their allegations. Iran denies the charges and insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.
Tehran stresses that the country has always pursued a civilian path to provide power to the growing number of Iranian population, whose fossil fuel would eventually run dry.
Despite the rules enshrined in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) entitling every member state, including Iran, to the right of uranium enrichment, Tehran is now under four rounds of UN Security Council sanctions for turning down West’s calls to give up its right of uranium enrichment.
Tehran has dismissed the West’s demands as politically tainted and illogical, stressing those sanctions and pressures merely consolidate Iranians’ national resolve to continue the path.
The joint statement of Ahmadinejad and Sargsyan continued that ” Iran and Armenia are ready for cooperation in the battle against organized crimes and international terrorism; Tehran and Yerevan are determined to expand bilateral relations in various fields including development of peace and security in the region.
It underscored the execution of all agreements between the two countries in the near future.
“Karabakh dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan should be resolute in peaceful ways based on International rules and regulations,” the statement noted.
Armenia and Azerbaijan remain officially at war over Karabakh and the dispute is a major source of tension in the South Caucasus region wedged between Iran, Russia and Turkey.
No country – not even Armenia – officially recognizes Karabakh as an independent state.
The rebel region has been controlled by ethnic Armenians since early 1990s.
Iran and Armenia singed five letters of understanding during the official visit of Iranian delegation led by President Ahmadinejad to Yerevan on Friday.
Tehran and Yerevan MoUs cover various fields of cooperation including the construction of hydroelectric power plants on Aras dam, cooperation between the Institute for Standards and Industrial Research of Iran and the Armenian National Institute for Standards as well as cooperation in the fields of social welfare, employment and environment protection.
President Ahmadinejad and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan on Friday held first round of talks on major topics concerning bilateral, regional, and international issues.
President Ahmadinejad’s visit to Armenia takes place upon an invitation by Armenian President Sargsyan and in line with expansion of bilateral ties between two countries.
Supply of oil products to Armenia and construction of railways are among main topics of discussion during President Ahmadinejad’s one-day visit to Yerevan.
Trade stood at dlrs 270 million in 2010 between the two countries. The figure rose up to dlrs 300 million in 2011.
Over the past 20 years, energy sector has played an important role in Iran-Armenia trade relations.
Relations between Armenia and the Islamic Republic of Iran remain extremely cordial and both Armenia and Iran are strategic partners in the region. Armenia and Iran enjoy cultural and historical ties that go back thousands of years. There are no border disputes between the two countries and the Christian Armenian minority in Iran enjoys official recognition.
In July, 2007, a memorandum was signed on the start of feasibility studies on the ideas of building an Armenian-Iranian railway and a Russian-owned oil refinery that would process Iranian crude.
The Armenian government is building a second, bigger highway leading to the Iranian border in the hope of boosting trade with Iran.
The two countries have reached a preliminary agreement to make joint TV serials. The joint venture would portray the social and cultural life of Iran and Armenia and expand cinematic ties between the two countries.