Pezeshkian in Yerevan
President: Tehran’s concerns over new route should be addressed
Armenia reassures Iran about border control
President Masoud Pezeshkain said on Tuesday that Iran’s concerns about the presence of transregional forces near the common border with Armenia should be “completely” addressed after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reassured him that a planned corridor linking Azerbaijan with its exclave will be under Armenian control.
Pezeshkain, who was on a two-day visit to Armenia, in a post on X said Iran believes that Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity should be preserved and emphasized the continuation of sincere relations between the two countries.
A planned corridor linking Azerbaijan with its exclave Nakhchivan, which is part a recent peace deal signed earlier this month in Washington between Armenia and Azerbaijan, has caused security concerns for Iran as the United States has been granted exclusive rights to develop the corridor, which is known as the Zangezur corridor.
Iran has long opposed the idea, saying it would change the geopolitical order of the Southern Caucasus and would restrict Iran’s ability to use transport networks in the region.
In a joint press conference with Pashinyan, Pezeshkian said Iran believes that problems of the Caucasus region should be resolved by the regional states, stressing that resorting to transregional forces complicates the situation in the region.
"Roads passing through Armenia will be under the exclusive jurisdiction of Armenia, and security will be provided by Armenia, not by any third country," Pashinyan added at the meeting with Pezeshkian.
He underlined that the corridor would open new economic perspectives between the two countries and may offer a railway path from Iran to the Black Sea coast through Armenia.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who is accompanying Pezeshkian in his regional tour that will also take him to Belarus, said that the Armenian side has assured that it will not allow Iran be threatened from its territory.
During the visit, the two countries also signed 10 memoranda of understanding on cooperation aimed at enhancing the countries’ relations.
The documents were signed by high-ranking officials of the two countries following the private meeting between Pezeshkian and Pashinyan.
The MoUs address diplomacy, economy, mines and industries, road and urban development, healthcare, environment, education, culture, social interaction, and tourism.
Pezeshkian told Pashinyan that Iran is ready to expedite the finalization of a long-term strategic cooperation program between the two nations.
The president also stated that the relations and cooperation between Iran and Armenia are developing in all areas, emphasizing the necessity of increasing interactions and consultations between the officials of the two countries to remove obstacles and problems in achieving the goals and implementing the mutual agreements.