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The construction of the North-South highway must remain a priority for Armenia, according to expert on Iran Vardan Voskanyan.

“In an interview to Armenpress news outlet on January 27, Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri clearly stated that as part of Iran's program on an international transport hub connecting the Persian Gulf to the Black Sea, Tehran considers the North-South highway passing through Syunik Province as the main transit route, not the Julfa (Iran)- Jugha (Nakhichevan)-Yeraskh (Armenia) railroad,” he wrote on Facebook on Saturday.

“Remarkably, addressing this issue twice, the Iranian diplomat straightforwardly reminded that even in case of unblocking communications, the proposed railroad options cannot be a reason to ignore the importance of the road passing through Armenia’s Syunik Province and providing direct land communication between Yerevan and Tehran, thus the construction of the North-South highway must remain a priority.

“Taking also into account the position of the Iranian side, Armenia should clearly state that the very North-South highway, through which the Iranian “Persian Gulf-Black Sea” and the Indian “North-South” transport hubs are to pass, rather than the railway connection between “mainland” Azerbaijan, Nakhichevan and Turkey via the Meghri region, is of vital importance to ensure safe internal and external communication and development of our country,” Voskanyan stated.