President Serzh Sargsyan will hold a series of consultations with Armenian Ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions in foreign countries and international organizations to discuss the opportunities of furthering Armenia’s economic interests, the perspectives of implementation of new projects, development of ties in a number of spheres.
The first meeting of the series was dedicated to issues on the agenda of Armenia-Iran relations, the ongoing programs and new initiatives. The discussion featured Armenia’s Ambassador to Iran Artashes Tumanyan, Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Karen Chshmarityan, Minister of Transport and Communication Gagik Beglaryan, other officials.
President Sargsyan asked Armenia’s Ambassador Artashes Tumanyan to report on a wide range of issues on the bilateral agenda. “Naturally, the lifting of sanctions against Iran has opened perspectives for the implementation of new programs in a number of fields. I would like to know about Armenia’s chances of becoming a key transit route for Iran,” the President said.
Cooperation in the field of energy was the second important issue outlined by President Sargsyan. He stressed the need for establishment of additional infrastructures and generating capacities.
Another issue high on the agenda of today’s consultations was Armenia’s investment capacity, especially considering that it’s the only member state of the Eurasian Economic Union sharing a land border with Iran.
Ambassador Tumanyan reported that the constriction of the third high-voltage power line is under way and will be completed by 2018. He said that serving as a transport corridor is of fundamental importance to Armenia. He referred to a recent statement by Iran’s Transport Minister about his country’s state policy of “four corridors,” one of which passes through Armenia.
“Two important political events have taken place in the region. First, the economic and financial sanctions against Iran have been lifted. Second, our country has become a member of the Eurasian Economic Union. The two developments are fundamental for building our economic policy,” Artashes Tumanyan said.
At the end of the consultations, President Sargsyan gave instructions to the participants of the consultation and involved agencies.
