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Armenia wants to link Iran to Eurasian Economic Union, Artashes Tumanyan, the Armenian Ambassador to Iran, told the Iranian information agency FARS.

Referring to the process of the realization of the Armenian-Iranian projects, the Ambassador Tumanyan said that the construction of the North-South highway’s section between the Georgian border and Meghri is in progress. Armenia can link the Persian Gulf region to the Black Sea through Georgia.

The Ambassador said a big terminal is planned to be constructed on the Iranian-Armenian border, which will contribute to the increase in bilateral product turnover.

Asked what is the obstacle of Iran-Armenia railway construction, Ambassador Tumanyan said, “A few hundred kilometer-long railway needs to be constructed which requires investments of billions of dollars. It will be constructed once the funding issue is solved.” 

“We are sure that the Islamic Republic of Iran will construct the 60-km-long railway by the Armenian-Iranian border, but it is also clear that sanctions have been imposed on Iran and the construction is currently difficult for the Iranian side,” Tumanyan added. 

Speaking about the construction of Meghri hydropower plant and the third power transmission line, Tumanyan said, “The governments of the two countries are currently holding talks about the operation of the power transmission line and the construction of the hydropower plant.” The ambassador said Armenia will increase the gas imports from Iran after the third power line is put into operation.

Speaking about the perspectives of the cooperation between Iran and EEU and highlighting the role of Armenia in that context, the Armenian Ambassador said, “Armenia wants to link Iran to the Eurasian Economic Union. The EEU member states are also interested in expanding their cooperation with Iran.”

On May 8, delivering a speech at the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan declared that the geography of the cooperation needs to be extended to the south as well, establishing closer ties with Iran in particular. 

The Armenian President stressed that the implementation of regional large infrastructure projects which will link the South-Eastern Asia and the Persian Gulf to the EEU states must also be considered.