Iran and Armenia have good-neighborly relations and large joint projects, most of which could not be implemented under the previous conditions, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian says in an interview with Kommersant, when commenting on the prospects of Armenian-Iranian relationship following the lifting of the sanctions against Tehran.
"Now there is an opportunity to both implement these projects and to discuss new opportunities for economic cooperation. We are exerting much effort to that end. We call Iran "a kind neighbor" and these are not just empty words. Our friendly relations are deeply rooted in history. There is a large Armenian community in Iran and it enjoys the warm attitude of Iran. The Iranian authorities are renovating Armenian churches, which are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is impossible not to see or not to appreciate it. Certainly, we show the same attitude to Iran and to the Iranian people. We have a big potential to expand both bilateral and regional partnership," Nalbandian says, adding that Armenia is glad to see that most of the sanctions against Iran have already been lifted.
When replying to the question that due to Turkey's stand Armenia has found itself on the sidelines of many regional formats of economic cooperation, Nalbandian says that he does not share this opinion.
"I would not say Armenia is outside regional partnership. Our country is a member of nearly 90 international organizations and takes an active part in various international and regional formats," he says.