We Must Work Harder to Achieve This Goal: Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister

Iran and Armenia have demonstrated their determination to develop their relations in various fields. This was stated by Majid Takht Ravanchi, the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in an exclusive interview with Regionmonitor.com.

In full, the interview is presented below.

Dear Mr. Ravanchi, how do you assess the current level of Iran-Armenia relations? What new projects do you plan to implement with Armenia? Is there a prospect for raising cooperation to a higher level and formalizing it through a document?

“Iran and Armenia are two good neighbors. We enjoy the historically existing good relations between the two countries. The peoples of the two countries have traditionally had good relations. We believe there is a great potential that should be utilized by both countries to improve bilateral relations. We think there are many things in the trade sector that can be beneficial for both sides in terms of expanding economic relations. We believe there are many good things that can happen between the two countries in the field of culture, both in Yerevan and Tehran, as well as in other cities of the two countries. Examples of such cooperation can include university exchanges, student exchanges, and professor exchange programs as well. Furthermore, we believe there are sectors that need further exploration, such as transport corridors that can connect the two countries with their neighbors. In my opinion, there is great potential that can be utilized. The exchange of peoples—tourism—is another sector that can be considered viable for both sides. Therefore, there are numerous issues and many sectors that both countries should focus on to further develop and expand the existing good relations between them. We see that there is interest from both sides, and there are contacts between officials of the two countries, including foreign ministers and presidents. High-ranking officials of both nations are keen to exchange their views on various occasions. Thus, everything is ready to improve bilateral relations, and not only bilaterally; we believe we can also have greater collaboration on the international stage within the framework of the United Nations and other international forums. We believe there are many opportunities that need to be uncovered, and as I mentioned, Iran and Armenia have shown their determination to develop their relations in various sectors.”

Is it possible to sign a document on strategic relations, is there such an opportunity?

“In my opinion, why not? We believe we should concentrate our efforts in this direction, and I think there is that tendency; both sides have shown interest in moving forward with this document. I think we need to work on a good document that can serve as a better foundation for strategic relations for both sides. It may take time to prepare a good document, but I believe that as long as both sides show their interest, we need to work harder to achieve that goal.”