On September 16th,  Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian started his official visit to Iran.

Minister Nalbandian was received by the President of Islamic Republic of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. At the beginning of the meeting Minister Nalbandian delivered Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s warm greetings to President of Iran.

Armenian Foreign Minister and President of Iran discussed recent regional developments. Edward Nalbandian thanked President of Iran for providing during the crisis Iranian territory for supplies of the vital goods to Armenia.
The two expressed satisfaction for the effective economic cooperation, wide legal base between Armenia and Iran and implementation of a number of mutually beneficial projects, They expressed willingness for further deepening of cooperation.
Edward Nalbandian and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad exchanged ideas on establishment of cooperation and stability in the region.
Iranian President stressed the importance of development of comprehensive relations with Armenia and mentioned that Iranian side would be glad to welcome Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan in Iran.

In Tehran  Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian had a meeting with Iranian  Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki.
In the course of the meeting the two Foreign Ministers discussed issues of bilateral agenda: political, economic and cultural projects, particularly in the areas of energy and transport.
The two reaffirmed their readiness to develop mutually beneficial bilateral relations They agreed that there is a great potential in the area of economic cooperation.

Armenian and Iranian Foreign Ministers also discussed recent regional developments and their influence on regional stability and security. In that context, Minister Nalbandian mentioned that the Armenian side has always supported the establishment and strengthening of long-lasting peace and stability in the region. In his words Armenia considers that any disputable question  should be solved only by means of peaceful negotiations and dialogue.
On the Manuchehr Mottaki’s request, Edward Nalbandian presented recent developments of Nagorno-Karabakh peace process and its perspectives. In Minister Nalbandian’s words, if there is an appropriate political will, it is possible to reach the solution of the problem, based  on the recognition and realization of Nagorno-Karabakh people’s right to self-determination.
Minister Nalbandian presented to his Iranian counterpart Armenia’s position on the perspectives of normalization Armenian-Turkish relations.

Touching upon bilateral cultural relations Minister Nalbandian highly appreciated the careful attitude of Iranian authorities toward Armenian historic-cultural monuments. He mentioned that the inclusion of two Armenian monuments in Iran – the church of St. Stepanos and St. Tadevos Apostle into UNESCO world heritage list is the evidence of careful attitude toward the monuments.
The meeting of Armenian and Iranian Foreign Ministers was followed by press conference.

At the meeting with Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, Minister Nalbandian stressed the importance of effective cooperation between Armenia and Iran parliaments for the strengthening of bilateral relations. Edward Nalbandian expressed his gratitude for the approach towards the Armenian community of Iran, the expression of which is the presence of two Armenian MPs in the Iranian parliament.
Minister Nalbandian mentioned that Armenia attaches great importance to the parliamentary diplomacy as an important measure to strengthen and develop relations between the nations.

Minister Nalbandian had a meeting with Said Jalili, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
Edward Nalbandian and Said Jalili touched upon recent regional development and exchanged ideas on ensuring security in the region.
The two also discussed the opportunities of cooperation between Security Councils of two countries.

During his stay in Tehran Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian visited Armenian Embassy, where he had a meeting with Embassy’s staff and got acquainted with work of the Consular Division.
In th evening of the same day Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki hosted a dinner in honor of Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.
Later in the evening, Edward Nalbandian visited “Ararat” sport-cultural complex, where he had a meeting with the representatives of Armenian community in Iran.