Tehran, Yerevan discuss cross-border transport, economic cooperation
The head of Iran’s Plan and Budget Organization (PBO) met Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan on Friday to discuss cross-border infrastructure projects, transport links and broader economic cooperation.
Hamid Pourmohammadi, who also serves as a vice president, stressed the importance of strengthening peace and stability in the region, saying it would support the sustainable development of regional relations and cooperation, as reported by IRNA.
The two sides reviewed progress on joint border infrastructure projects, including construction of a second bridge linking the two countries, modernization of the Norduz-Meghri border crossings, efforts to remove transport bottlenecks, and customs cooperation through the integration of electronic data exchange systems. They emphasized the need to implement previously agreed measures.
Pourmohammadi and Pashinyan also discussed expanding cooperation in the energy, agriculture, infrastructure and mining sectors. The PBO chief thanked Armenia for what he described as the country's humanitarian support for Iran during difficult times, while Pashinyan asked him to convey his greetings to the Iranian president and the Iranian people.
Pourmohammadi also conveyed the "warm greetings" of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to Pashinyan during the meeting, as reported by IRNA.
Later on Friday, Pourmohammadi met Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan, who co-chairs the two countries' joint economic commission, with the talks focusing on facilitating the movement of Iranian trucks, expanding transit routes and boosting exports of Iranian goods to Armenia and along the North-South transport corridor.
The two sides proposed that an Armenian expert delegation visit Iran to explore additional opportunities for cooperation and address obstacles to expanding bilateral economic ties.
The Iranian vice president also said Armenian officials expressed satisfaction with the performance of Iranian contractors working on infrastructure projects in the country and indicated an interest in awarding Iranian companies additional transport and road construction projects.
As part of his visit, Pourmohammadi is scheduled to attend the inauguration of the Kajaran Tunnel and inspect the completed Norduz-Kajaran road section, both built by Iranian contractors, according to IRNA.