Iran, Armenia highlight interactions in AI, traffic transit, space industry
In a meeting with the Armenian ambassador in Tehran, Iranian Minister of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Sattar Hashemi, highlighted Artificial Intelligence (AI), traffic transit and space industry as suitable fields for cooperation with Yerevan, stressing that both countries are committed to enhancing relations across all sectors.
During the meeting with Grigor Hakobian on Wednesday, Hashemi pointed to technology diplomacy as a key initiative of his ministry, underlining that neighboring countries surrounding Iran are prioritized in the plan.
“In this regard, we have a special focus on the relations between Iran and Armenia, which share common civilizational and historical roots,” he added.
Referring to the country’s plan for developing communication infrastructure and traffic transit from west to east and north to south, he mentioned the “Iran Corridor 2025” conference held in Dubai on February 4 on this topic. The minister added that the conference would present opportunities for traffic transit services at any point along the border, which has been greatly welcomed by regional countries, and expressed hope for similar interactions with Armenia.
Hashemi touched on several cooperation opportunities between the two countries, including the establishment of data centers, collaboration in IT and communications technology parks, cybersecurity, smart government initiatives, the space industry, postal services, and e-commerce, as well as leveraging the capabilities of Payam Airport in Alborz Province.
He also pointed out the limited time window for progress in the global field of Artificial Intelligence and stated, “We will specifically pursue joint interactions in this area.”
The minister said that 25% of startup companies in Iran operate within the ICT sector and emphasized that the presence of these companies in the region is a priority for this administration.
The Armenian ambassador in Tehran, for his part, remarked on the high-level cooperation between the two countries, describing it as an excellent opportunity to utilize the capacities of both sides in the field of communications and information technology.
He regarded the present time as particularly suitable for increasing mutual collaboration.
Hakobian proposed the exchange of delegations from both sides to explore areas of collaboration and facilitate reciprocal meetings between the ministers of communications.
The envoy identified cooperation between the two countries’ communication operators, traffic transit, postal collaboration, joint research, and artificial intelligence as promising avenues for mutual cooperation in the ICT sector.