Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made a visit to Armenia Friday
that saw the Islamic republic sign a series of agreements to boost ties
with its neighbor.
A joint statement by Ahmadinejad and his Armenian counterpart
Serzh Sarkisian said that the two countries planned to step up
cooperation.
Ex-Soviet Armenia has been seeking to increase links with Iran
because it is suffering from long-term political disputes with two of
its other neighbors--Turkey
and Azerbaijan--which have led to an economic blockade and closed
borders.
The two states have found further common ground because Iran
also has an tense relationship with Azerbaijan, which fought a war with
Armenia in the 1990s over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh.
Ahmadinejad and Sarkisian's statement also noted Yerevan's
support for Tehran in the row over its controversial nuclear program,
which the West suspects of being an attempt to build atomic weapons, but
which Iran says is for peaceful energy generation.
"[The two presidents] noted the right of all countries,
including Armenia and Iran, to use nuclear energy for peaceful
purposes," the statement said.
The joint statement said that six agreements were signed
during Ahmadinejad's visit including an energy cooperation deal and a
memorandum about Iranian development assistance to Armenia.
A timetable was also agreed for the joint construction of a
hydro-electric power station on the Arax river which runs along their
mutual border.
Trade turnover between Tehran and Yerevan has been increasing,
from $206 million in 2009 to $273 million last year--a significant
boost for Armenia's economy.