Ahmadinejad terms Armenia visit as "good"

23 October 2007

Tehran-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad here on Tuesday termed his two-day visit to Armenia as "good" adding that the two countries will witness boost in all-out bilateral ties in the future.

He made the remark while talking to reporters at Mehrabad International Airport upon return from his two-day official visit to Armenia.

He said his trip to Armenia took longer than scheduled, adding that his visit was supposed to last for 22 hours but due to some meetings it was prolonged by 1.5 hours.

"Iran and Armenia share identical views regarding regional peace and stability," he said, adding that the two countries believe in settlement of disputes through dialogue.

"Both Tehran and Yerevan are concerned about the latest developments in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine," the president noted, adding that the two sides are willing to witness materialization of peace, stability and security, particularly in Iraq and Palestine, on the basis of justice.

On Iran-Armenia economic cooperation, he said the two sides stressed importance of following up strategic projects including railways, refineries, gas and electricity transmission lines, transportation, and construction of Aras dam and power plant.

Referring to Tehran-Yerevan relations as "growing and lasting", he said several letters of understanding on expansion of economic, banking, consular, investment, and construction of wind power plants were inked by the two countries' officials.

Issuing a joint statement by the two sides was among other achievements of Armenia visit, he added.

Ahmadinejad, heading a high ranking politico-economic delegation, arrived in Yerevan on Monday and left the country on Tuesday.

During his stay, he met with his Armenian counterpart Robert Kocharian and delivered a speech at Yerevan University where he received an honorary PhD and a medal on Monday. The Iranian president also addressed a large group of Iranians residing in Armenia on Tuesday.