Nikol Pashinyan, Masoud Pezeshkian issue a joint statement following  the meeting

ArmInfo. Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian  signed a joint statement following the meeting in Yerevan on August 19.

As stated in the text of the joint statement, during the talks the  parties exchanged views on various bilateral and multilateral issues.  They highly appreciated the historical, deep and friendly relations  between the two peoples, as well as their centuries-old cultural and  civilizational commonality. The parties reaffirmed their  determination to further expand these ties through all means and  opportunities, and to develop and advance political consultations on  various bilateral, regional and international issues.  Expressing  satisfaction with the dynamic and promising trend of developing  cooperation between the two countries at the bilateral, regional and  international levels, as well as high-level dialogues and exchanges  of delegations, the parties:

-Emphasized their commitment to strengthening relations between the  two countries and elevating them to the level of a strategic  partnership.

-Noted the importance of regular high-level political consultations  aimed at coordinating approaches to bilateral, regional and  international issues and expanding cooperation. The parties  emphasized that, regardless of the changing international situation,  they will remain committed to strengthening bilateral relations and  developing comprehensive cooperation.

-Condemning the recent attack on the Islamic Republic of Iran, called  for compliance with the UN Charter and international law.

- Emphasized their commitment to the UN Charter and the generally  recognized principles and norms of international law, including  respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity  of states, the inviolability and inviolability of international  borders, the exclusion of the use of force or threat of force and  non-interference in each other's internal affairs.

- Reaffirmed relations based on peaceful coexistence and  good-neighbourliness.

- Stressed the importance of developing people-to-people ties, as  well as scientific, cultural and tourist exchanges aimed at  strengthening friendship and mutual understanding between the two  peoples and, to this end, facilitating the movement of citizens of  the two countries.

-    Noting the importance of dialogue and cooperation between the  parliaments of the two countries as an important component in  promoting common goals and visions, they highlighted the importance  of specialized committees and parliamentary friendship groups within  the framework of international parliamentary organizations.

-    Stressed the need to address common environmental issues,  particularly, the  pollution of the Araks River, through bilateral  cooperation.

-    Emphasizing the significant potential for increasing trade  turnover and welcoming the holding of regular meetings between the  Intergovernmental Mixed Commission between the two countries, they  reaffirmed their determination to expand and deepen cooperation in  various areas of mutual interest.

-    To increase the trade volume  between the two countries to 3  billion US dollars, a decision was made to increase the volume of  trade, expand mutual investments and implement joint infrastructure  projects aimed at strengthening the friendship and common interests  of the two countries, taking into account the opportunities provided   by the free trade agreement between Iran and the Eurasian Economic  Union.

-     Given the common interests of the two countries in  strengthening the Persian Gulf-Black Sea route, the parties stressed  the need to promote comprehensive transport cooperation, development  of transport infrastructure and transit routes, including through the  construction of a second bridge across the Araks River on the border  of the two countries, developing and modernizing new border  checkpoints, as well as reducing road tolls within the framework of  the agreements signed between the two countries.

-    The parties also reaffirmed the importance of  the power  transmission line 3 construction from the Republic of Armenia to the  Islamic Republic of Iran, emphasizing the need to complete it in the  shortest possible time, including expressing support for expanding  the exchange of gas and electricity between the two countries within  the framework of the Gas and Electricity Exchange Agreement.

The parties stressed the importance of developing transport and  communication infrastructure between the two countries, including the  integration of international transport routes, railways and roads, as  well as the development of transit routes,  leading to an increase in  the regional role of the two countries.  They reaffirmed the  importance of Armenia's "Crossroads of Peace" initiative and stressed  the need to mutually unblock transport routes within the framework of  territorial integrity, national sovereignty and jurisdiction of  states.  Armenia and Iran highlighted the importance of supporting  joint ventures in various sectors of the economy, including industry,  agriculture, mining and services, as well as ensuring the necessary  conditions for private sector activities of the two countries.  Supporting the significant achievements in the context of the peace  agreement between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of  Azerbaijan, the necessity to maintain territorial integrity, equal  sovereignty, political independence and respect for the inviolability  of recognized international borders was emphasized.

The importance of supporting the development of regional cooperation  mechanisms, including the "3+3" regional consultative platform, as  well as the need for ongoing consultations aimed at converging  approaches to important global and regional issues were emphasized.  They expressed their readiness to closely cooperate within the  framework of regional and international organizations, in particular  the United Nations. The need to jointly combat terrorism, extremism,  transnational organized crime, drug trafficking, as well as other  security challenges that undermine regional and international peace  and stability was emphasized.

Yerevan and Tehran highlighted the  importance of continuing joint  efforts to enhance the fraternal relations between the Republic of  Armenia and the Islamic Republic of Iran and noted that these  relations are an example of peaceful coexistence and constructive  cooperation between different civilizations and cultures. The leaders  of the two states agreed to continue regular high-level meetings to  assess the progress of cooperation and identify new areas for the  development of relations. President Pezeshkian invited Prime Minister  Nikol Pashinyan to visit Iran. The invitation was accepted. During  the visit, several documents were signed on areas of mutual interest.