The Visit is Extremely Important to Fill the Observed Pause in Our Countries' Relations,” Vardan Oskanyan

Iran expert Vardan Oskanyan wrote on his Facebook page: “Since the Prime Minister of Armenia has already announced that he will have an official visit to Iran on the 27th of this month, and such a visit, as I have mentioned multiple times, is extremely important in rapidly filling the pause observed in the upward trajectory of our countries' relations, this visit should be on a qualitatively new level. In my opinion, achieving this requires a series of preparatory steps to be taken on-site, which I will discuss in several posts.

It is no secret that Iran is a unique country, even a unique civilization, with an unwritten language of messages and slogans specific to itself, which can be best utilized not only in verbal communication but also in seemingly straightforward actions.

In this regard, the participation of the Prime Minister of Armenia’s wife in the visit could have significant symbolic importance, considering two crucial aspects. First, due to the massive flow of propaganda from anti-Iranian various centers, over decades, a distorted image of Iran has been created—figuratively speaking, a 'female-repellent' portrayal—resulting in the fact that the leaders of countries visit this state generally without the company of their first ladies. Thus, Armenia can serve as a positive exception in this regard, conveying an important friendly message to our neighboring country, beyond the verbal realm. Second, it is no secret to any expert familiar with Iran that Iranian women have a tremendous, I wouldn't hesitate to say, enormous influence on the decision-making of their husbands. In this context, establishing personal connections between the wife of the Prime Minister of Armenia and the wives of Iranian political elites could be extremely promising and effective from our country's perspective in promoting our national interests.”