Armenian Defense Minister discusses regional security issues with Iran’s Raisi

On an official visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran, Armenian Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan, met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

The meeting centered on discussions regarding Armenian-Iranian cooperation, including in the defense field.

In addition to discussing issues related to regional security, the two leaders also discussed cooperation in the defense sector.

“On the sidelines of my official visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran, I met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. The meeting centered on discussions regarding Armenian-Iranian cooperation, including in the defense sector. We shared our approaches to regional security issues,” Papikyan said in a social media post.

On the first day of his visit, Papikyan met with his Iranian counterpart, Reza Ashitani, who told the visiting Armenian dignitary that the Caucasus region should not become the site of competition for other powers, presumably referring to the efforts by the West to forge closer relations with Armenia.

Ashitani and Papikyan agreed to strengthen relations between the two neighboring countries.

Strengthening relations with all its neighbors is part of the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic, but Armenia enjoys special importance and the relations between the two have been growing in different areas ever since Armenia’s independence, Ashitani said, according to the IRNA news agency.

Iran’s leader’s however, have voiced concerns about the bolstering of relations between Armenia and the European Union — and by extension with other Western powers, including the United States.

“Seeking security outside the region has the opposite outcome, turns the region into a place of power conflict and brings about more challenges to regional peace and stability,” Ashitani told IRNA.

He also emphasized that Iran has always supported comprehensive peace and stability in the region.

“The decisive stance of the Islamic Republic is to support the territorial integrity of the countries in the region and their right to sovereignty over their land and no change to the internationally-recognized borders,” Ashtiani emphasized, adding that Iran adheres to this policy in the Caucasus region, supports direct negotiations between its two neighbors Azerbaijan and Armenia and considers it a basis for peace, progress, and development.

Papikyan praised what he called “historic relations” between the two countries and voiced Yerevan’s readiness to expand and strengthen those ties.

“It is very important that both countries have similar views on regional stability, we should strive for closer relations in order to develop and achieve regional security,” Papikyan added.