Tuesday, 8 July 2008
RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan received First Deputy Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran Alireza Sheikhattar.
The Prime Minister made a point of strengthening and expanding the existing bilateral ties of friendship and cooperation by stressing that much has to be done yet in this area, and that the government of Armenia is coming up with initiatives aimed at identifying such new areas of interaction. With reference to the ongoing successful cooperation in energy, transport, agriculture and other sectors, the prime minister of Armenia and the Iranian first deputy foreign minister said it to be conditional upon the two countries' well-sustained and reliable partnership, based on the centuries-old friendship and historical-cultural affinities between the two peoples.
To begin with, Alireza Sheikhattar conveyed warm greetings and a desire for having substantial discussions over bilateral economic exchanges on behalf of Tigran Sargsyan's Iranian counterpart, First Deputy President Mr. Davoodi; "Relations between the two countries have been developing quite successfully since Armenia's independence. The IRI has always stood by Armenia in time of hardship, and this is natural as a politically stable and prosperous Armenia may be instrumental in ensuring peace and economic development in the region," First Deputy Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran has underscored.
Although rich in geopolitical and historical-cultural resources, extending from Caucasus as far as the Persian Gulf and the Middle East, nowadays our region has become one of most tense regions of the world. With this in mind, Mr. Sheikhattar said to be convinced that it is now the focus of global foreign policy agenda.
As for the activation of economic exchanges between our two countries, Alireza Sheikhattar emphasized the design of an appropriate legal framework susceptible to attract investments and boost ties between the respective business circles. He briefed the Armenian Prime Minister on banking sector liberalization-oriented measures currently underway in Iran and suggested discussing the possibilities for eventual interaction in this sphere. To provide for enhanced efficiency of such interaction, the IRI First Deputy Foreign Minister offered to set up working groups responsible for identifying the existing bottlenecks and formulating ways for a speedy implementation of joint programs. The Prime Minister of Armenia took the point of his guest by saying that the working groups can start operating as soon as relevant candidates are named on either side through diplomatic channels.
