Iran will continue to seek closer ties with Armenia and support its territorial integrity under President Masoud Pezeshkian, his newly appointed Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday.
According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Araghchi “stressed the unchanging nature of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s policy regarding the region” in a phone call with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan, who congratulated him on his appointment approved by the Iranian parliament on Wednesday.
“Araghchi supported the growing relations between the two countries and reaffirmed Iran’s readiness to enhance ties with Armenia,” read a statement released by the ministry. “He emphasized Iran’s policy of supporting the territorial integrity of regional countries and the inviolability of international borders.”
The statement said Mirzoyan thanked Tehran for its “stance on Armenia’s territorial integrity and regional developments.”
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In its readout of the call, the Armenian Foreign Ministry likewise cited Mirzoyan as saying that Yerevan “highly appreciates Iran’s firm position on Armenia’s sovereignty and the inviolability of its territorial integrity.” It said the two ministers reaffirmed their governments’ commitment to “further reinforce strong partnership” between Armenia and Iran.
A 61-year-old career diplomat, Araghchi was a member of the Iranian negotiating team that reached a nuclear deal with world powers in 2015.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with Pezeshkian before attending his inauguration ceremony in Tehran on July 30. The new president, widely regarded as a moderate reformist, reportedly told him that Iran will continue to bolster bilateral ties “as much as possible.”
During that trip, Pashinyan was also received by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The latter reaffirmed Tehran’s strong opposition to Azerbaijan’s efforts to secure a land corridor through Armenia to its Nakhichevan exclave.