Iranian consulate opened on southern border of Armenia, in city of Kapan
Opening of the Iranian Consulate in Armenia
“Iran considers the security of Armenia and the region to be its security. Our policy is to respect territorial integrity as well as internationally recognized borders,” Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said at the opening of the Iranian Consulate General in Kapan.
During a joint press conference with his Armenian counterpart, he also stated that Tehran is against the presence of foreign representatives in the region, both in Armenia and Azerbaijan. The minister was likely referring to the EU monitoring mission, currently on the Armenian border with Azerbaijan.
Other details of the official visit of the Iranian Foreign Minister; the most important statements made by Abdollahian in Armenia.
Iranian consulate opened in Kapan, Armenian consulate to open in Tabriz
The Iranian and Armenian ministers attended the opening ceremony of the Iranian Consulate General in Kapan.
This is the first Iranian Consulate General in Armenia. The Iranian government decided to open it at the end of last year.
Diplomatic relations between Armenia and Iran were established in December 1992. In the same year, embassies were opened in the capitals. According to information published on the website of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Iran is one of Armenia’s important trading partners and “traditionally enters the top five.”
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said that Iran’s decision to open a consulate general in the Syunik region is very valuable. He called this southern region the core of Armenia.
Though it was here just a month ago that the Azerbaijani Armed Forces invaded the territory of Armenia, Iran did not cancel the decision to open its diplomatic mission.
The Armenian minister also confirmed Armenia’s intention to open a consulate general in Tabriz.
The Iranian Foreign Minister stated that the Syunik region is one of the most important sections of the North-South highway, and Iran considers Armenia one of the most important transit countries for this project:
“And we will make every effort to further develop this transit route, as well as freight and passenger traffic along this route.”
The Armenian media also noticed and quoted the words of the Iranian Consul General about the inviolability of the territory of Armenia.
“We do not recognize any changes in the borders at the official level and wish to see a peaceful, stable Armenia. Our message here is peace and friendship. Iranians are people of action, and we hope that no country will allow itself to carry out any actions outside its borders, otherwise Iran will show proportionate opposition,” Morteza Abedin Varamin said.
“We have declared our position” – Abdollahian
Iran has regularly voices its opposition to any closure of the border with Armenia.
Iranian Foreign Minister confirmed in Yerevan that a change of historical borders in the region is a red line for Tehran.
According to Abdollahian, Azerbaijani President Aliyev, at a meeting with Iranian President Raisi, “clearly stated that they do are pursuing geographic and border changes in the region.”
“We have announced our position, issued appropriate warnings at the highest level regarding geopolitical and border changes in the region. Iran has the ability to prevent and resist the fulfillment of any such idea,” the Iranian Foreign Minister said.
“We highly appreciate the principled position of Tehran”
According to the Armenian Foreign Minister, the key topic of negotiations with the Iranian counterpart was regional security and stability.
Ararat Mirzoyan said that Yerevan and Tehran have a common position – problems between the countries of the region should be resolved through negotiations and constructive dialogue, excluding the use of force or the threat of its use.
“We highly appreciate the principled and clear position of friendly Iran regarding the territorial integrity of Armenia, as well as the efforts of the Iranian side aimed at establishing stability and peace in the region,” the head of the Armenian Foreign Ministry said.
At what stage is the Persian Gulf-Black Sea program?
During a press conference of the foreign ministers of Iran and Armenia, Armenian journalists were interested in the status of the Persian Gulf-Black Sea international transport corridor project, and what steps are being taken to attract other countries, in particular India, to it.
The international transport corridor Persian Gulf-Black Sea is a major international project initiated by Iran. Its goal is to economically link the ports of the Persian Gulf and the Black Sea. Iran put forward this idea in 2016. Iran itself is involved in the project, as well as Armenia, Georgia, Greece and Bulgaria. However, other countries of the Persian and Gulf of Oman, including India, may also join.
The Iranian Foreign Minister replied that this was one of the important topics of discussion with the Armenian authorities. Abdollahian suggests that a trilateral Armenia-Iran-India format may fulfill the aim of the project.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia did not say anything specific about India, noting only that the corridor would be of interest to this country as well:
“We, like Iran, like Bulgaria, have already initialed an agreement on this matter, negotiations are underway with other countries, including with countries that were not initially involved in this process.”
Opening of the Iranian Consulate in Armenia
