On July 24, in Tehran, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hossein Amir Abdollahian had a meeting both in tête-à-tête and in enlarged format, the latter with participation of the delegations of both countries.

The meeting was followed by the press statements of two Ministers. The full text of Ararat Mirzoyan's statement is presented below.

Honourable Mr. Hossein Amir Abdollahian,

Dear colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I express my gratitude to my good friend and dear colleague for the invitation to Tehran, warm welcome, fruitful negotiations and discussions.

The Republic of Armenia and the Armenian people attach great importance to the rich historical relations with the neighbouring and friendly Islamic Republic of Iran, and we are confident that high-level visits and contacts are aimed at strengthening our ties in the long term. For us, Iran has always been and will remain a special partner, including in overcoming challenges in the current difficult conditions.

Based on mutual respect and understanding, our continuous and uninterrupted bilateral friendly relations are developing dynamically, we are enriching the agenda of the partnership between the two countries through joint efforts and outline new prospects for cooperation. 

Attaching great importance to the benchmark outlined by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran on increasing the volume of bilateral trade turnover up to $3 billion, we stressed the consistency of joint economic programs and the importance of their completion.

Cooperation in the fields of trade, energy, transport and road infrastructure plays a special role on our agenda, and in this regard, it should be emphasised that the implementation of the programs of international transport routes 'North-South Road Corridor' and 'Persian Gulf-Black Sea' is of great importance. 

Trilateral formats with the participation of Armenia and Iran also serve as an interesting platform for cooperation: we were glad to host the first Armenia-Iran-India consultations in Yerevan this year. We attach great importance to this trilateral cooperation and are confident that it has significant potential for multifaceted cooperation.

One of the substantive achievements of bilateral cooperation was the opening of the Consulate General of Islamic Republic of Iran in Kapan last year, the logical continuation of which we consider the works on the establishment of the Consulate General of the Republic of Armenia in Tabriz. 

The strong Armenian-Iranian ties are proven by the constant attention and care at the high state level towards the historical and cultural heritage and monuments of our two countries. I am pleased to note that a few days ago, our diplomats made a pilgrimage to St. Thaddeus Apostle Monastery, which is situated in Iran and is included on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list.

We attach importance to the established close, friendly ties between the Parliaments of Armenia and Iran.

Dear attendees,

Regional security and stability issues were at the core of our discussion today. We particularly emphasised the need to establish peace, security and stability in the South Caucasus. I briefed my counterpart on the negotiation process of the normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

As we have repeatedly stated, in the context of normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, we attach key importance to reestablishment of clear borderline based on the Alma-Ata Declaration, to ensuring guarantees of delimitation and border security, as well as establishing a stable international mechanism of discussions between Stepanakert and Baku for addressing issues of the rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.

However, regrettably, instead of a dialogue with the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan today pursues a policy of ethnic cleansing, a clear manifestation of which is the seven-month-long illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with the outer world. Since June 15, the supply of food and medicine to Nagorno-Karabakh has completely halted, and the transfer of patients with serious health problems to Armenia is being hindered.

Today we bear witness to the very scenario about which we warned seven months ago: there is already a significant and tangible humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh. And this is happening in gross violation of international humanitarian norms, contrary to the provisions enshrined in the Trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, numerous appeals and resolutions of the international community and bodies, the legally binding Order of the International Court of Justice of February 22, which, by the way, was confirmed on July 6.

I must emphasise that Armenia expects practical efforts from those interested in real peace in the South Caucasus and from the responsible actors to prevent a new humanitarian catastrophe unfolding before their own eyes in the 21st century.

The Republic of Armenia is much interested in unblocking the regional economic and transport infrastructure, based on sovereignty and national jurisdiction of the countries, as well as on the principles of equality and reciprocity. In this context, the inviolability of our state border with the Islamic Republic of Iran cannot be questioned, and here the clear and repeatedly expressed positions of the Armenian and Iranian sides are identical. In this regard, as we have noted many times, we highly appreciate the principled and clear position of neighbouring and friendly Iran regarding the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia over respective infrastructures.

My good friend, Mr. Abdollahian,

I would like to emphasise once again the readiness and political will of the top leadership of Armenia to develop and deepen relations with our good neighbour, the Islamic Republic of Iran, in the spirit of mutual respect and mutually beneficial partnership.

Thank you for today's warm welcome and hospitality in Tehran, which was declared a sister city with Yerevan at the beginning of this year. I hope that in the near future, I will be honoured to receive you in Armenia, where friends are always welcome. Once again, I reaffirm the invitation of the Prime Minister of Armenia addressed to his dear colleague, President Raisi.

Thank you.