Iran-Armenia ties promote security - Ahmadinejad

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the expansion of ties between Iran and Armenia helps promote peace and security in the region, Press TV reported.

During a Saturday meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian in the Iranian capital, Tehran, Ahmadinejad pointed to the available potentials for the enhancement of Iran-Armenia ties and said, "Trade with neighbors is always the best [form of] trade, which is beneficial both to the establishment and promotion of security, peace and amity and to the regional countries."

Ahmadinejad also said that Tehran-Yerevan ties could be enhanced promptly as Iran considers no limits on its relations with Armenia, IRNA reported.

Iran is keen to see world nations live in justice and amity, and if there is any difference in opinions, it should be resolved through dialogue, the Iranian chief executive added.

Earlier in the day, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi also met with his Armenian counterpart in Tehran.

Salehi described Iran's ties with Armenia as "strategic," stressing the need to continue negotiations on the expansion of bilateral relations.

He congratulated his counterpart on the 20th anniversary of the Armenia's independence and described having good relations with neighbors as one of Tehran's foreign policy priorities.

Salehi urged the continuation of negotiations with Armenia over mutual issues and regional developments and expressed Iran's readiness to cooperate with the Armenian government in the transportation and energy sectors as well as in the fields of politics and culture.

Nalbandian, for his part, voiced satisfaction with Tehran-Yerevan relations and formally invited the Iranian foreign minister to visit Armenia.

The Armenian foreign minister also stressed the role of Iran in establishing stability and security in Central Asia and discussed the latest developments in the Caucasus, including the negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.


/Trend/