Ambassador Reisi: Iran perceives positively Armenia’s joining EEU
“The Iranian entrepreneurs can benefit from the opportunities provided by the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) member Armenia,” Iran’s Ambassador to Armenia, Mohammad Reisi, told the Iranian information agency ISNA.
Referencing the perspectives of the Armenia – EEU – Iran partnership, the Iranian Ambassador said, “Armenia’s joining EEU has created a competitive situation for some Iranian products in the Armenian market because the products from the EEU member states are imported to Armenia without restrictions and customs barriers. However, the Iranian entrepreneurs can export their products to Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus through Armenia.”
“Iran perceives positively Armenia’s joining the EEU as the Iranian producers can operate the final stage of the production of their goods in Armenia and export their certified goods in the name of Armenia. This can enable the Iranian goods to be easily exported to the EEU’s market of 200 million,” Reisi added.
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, by 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.
Speaking about Iran’s position regarding Nagorno Karabakh, the Ambassador Reisi said, “Iran was among the first countries to conduct mediation mission in Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement process. Our country has made certain success in that issue. Later OSCE Minsk group got engaged in settling down the problem and has not been a success so far. Iran believes that Nagorno Karabakh conflict must be settled down through dialogue based on the principles of the international law.”
Referencing the bilateral economic relations, the Ambassador noted that the product turnover was 280 million dollars last year. Reisi, the Ambassador, said that about 100 thousand tourists visit Armenia every year. One of the most important characteristics of the population in Armenia is their hospitality, he added.