Armenian PM’S upcoming visit aimed at boosting ties with Iran
The upcoming visit to Iran by Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will boost relations between the two countries, said an Armenian expert on Iran.
Armen Israelyan further said at a news conference on Monday that bilateral ties, regional cooperation and international issues will be discussed during the Armenian premier’s visit to Iran which will begin on Wednesday. It will be Pashinyan’s first trip to Iran, reported Armenpress.
“We have always highlighted Iran’s strategic significance for Armenia. In this context bilateral cooperation must be rather important for both leaders. I think there will be a clarification of the political agenda, the developments in Iran, the sanctions against it and other issues,” he said.
Israelyan noted that in terms of politics, Armenianiranian relations are at a high level, which isn’t reflected in the economic ties. In 2015, when the Iran nuclear deal was signed, it was expected that economic relations with Armenia will be boosted. But, Israelyan argued, major economic projects did not happen and trade turnover indicators continue to be unsatisfactory.
“Meaning, we must be quite active because there are serious prospects for development in different sectors such as energy, tourism, transportation, industry among others. The question is that Armenia, our economy and investment opportunities must be maximally presented to Iran’s society, businessmen. For a long time it seems that in Iran they very well know about this, however, I assure you it isn’t like that. Daily work is required in this direction,” he said.
He highlighted that fact that Armenia has emphasized the modernization of infrastructures.
As long as Armenia has not done sufficient work in this direction, he noted, serious progress cannot be recorded in the economy.
The IRAN-EEU free trade deal is expected to be ratified by member states of the organization in 2019, and Israelyan said economic benefits can be gained in the EEU circle also.
“Armenia can also benefit from Eu-iran cooperation. Despite the US sanctions, leading EU countries such as Germany, France and the UK, are inclined to continue economic cooperation with Iran. This was clearly spoken about recently during a conference in Warsaw by the EU high commissioner for foreign policy and security affairs. Here, Armenia should also be the initiator by keeping issues regarding Iran in the agenda,” he said.