Iran's Attorney General Visits Armenia

On October 12, the Attorney General of Iran, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, arrived in Armenia for a three-day working visit at the invitation of the Attorney General of Armenia, Arthur Davtyan. The Iranian delegation was welcomed at the Zvartnots International Airport by the Deputy Attorney General of Armenia, Gevorg Baghdasaryan.

This marks the first visit by an Iranian Attorney General in the last eight years, beginning with extensive talks held with the Armenian Attorney General. According to the Armenian Attorney General’s office, Arthur Davtyan expressed gratitude to his Iranian counterpart for accepting the invitation and for carrying out this important visit despite the difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Davtyan highlighted the significance of the visit for strengthening cooperation between partner agencies and for developing warm, friendly relations in the legal sphere among neighboring countries.

“Iran is a trusted partner and a good neighbor for Armenia, with a history of relations spanning centuries. Iran is also an important trade partner for Armenia, and we have a very active Armenian community in Iran. There is significant Armenian cultural heritage in Iran, which is well cared for by Iranian authorities, as I witnessed during my visit to Tehran in November 2018. The high level of relations between Armenia and Iran is evidenced by numerous meetings between our state leaders and the multifaceted issues discussed,” said the Attorney General of Armenia.

Mr. Montazeri thanked Armenia for the warm reception and expressed confidence that mutual visits and the opportunity to directly discuss agenda items at the highest level would foster further deepening of cooperation between the attorney general's offices and law enforcement systems, aligning with the upward, multidimensional relations between the two countries. He emphasized the significant contributions of Iranian Armenians in Iran’s social, political, and cultural life, highlighting that due to existing mutual trust, serious problems do not practically arise in bilateral relations.

During the meeting, collaboration in the fields of extradition and legal assistance in criminal matters was discussed, alongside joint efforts against drug trafficking and illicit circulation, as well as combatting illegal border crossings and irregular migration. Issues related to the continuation of activities aimed at exchanging experiences in uncovering, seizing, confiscating, and returning criminally acquired assets from abroad were also addressed.

The negotiations focused on the potential for improving timelines in the execution of requests presented to Iran's law enforcement agencies within the framework of legal assistance in criminal cases, the processes concerning Iranian citizens serving sentences in Armenia, and enhancing cooperation in combating the illegal importation and transit of narcotics, including the modernization of technical means at border checkpoints, as well as raising awareness among citizens visiting each other's countries regarding restrictions on the transport of substances containing narcotic drugs.

In the context of combating transnational crime, the Attorney Generals emphasized the necessity of keeping the region free from international terrorism and excluding the presence of terrorist groups in the region, particularly highlighted due to the transfer and deployment of such groups in the conflict zone during the 2020 Artsakh war. The Armenian Attorney General praised the Iranian side's notable stance of intolerance on this issue and conveyed Armenia's readiness to engage in the fight against this evil in any format.

Mr. Montazeri also underscored the challenge of addressing the existing threat to regional peace and security, noting that Iran would not tolerate the expansion of terrorism in its immediate neighborhood.

Arthur Davtyan presented Armenia's efforts aimed at ensuring stability, security, and the protection of fundamental rights in the conflict area following the 2020 Artsakh war, alongside discussing current humanitarian issues. Other mutually interesting topics were also discussed, particularly regarding legal mechanisms for the right of the population along the Araks river basin to have a clean environment and finding solutions to environmental issues, along with opportunities to develop working formats for future cooperation in this sphere.