PM Pashinyan: Armenia will never be involved in any anti-Iran conspiracy

Armenia never has and will never be involved in any conspiracy against Iran, says the Armenian prime minister amid heightened tensions between Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

“I am confident that our Iranian partners know that the Republic of Armenia has never been and will never be involved in any conspiracy against Iran, because we extremely value those relations,” Nikol Pashinyan said, Armen Press reported on Sunday.

Pashinyan said his country will never forget that “Iran was the path of life for Armenia in the early 90s,” making a reference to a peace agreement brokered by Iran in 1992 between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“This is such a firm ground for our relations that rules out any involvement of Armenia in any anti-Iran conspiracy,” he reiterated.

The remarks come amid heightened tensions between Iran and neighboring Azerbaijan over the Israeli regime’s presence on Azeri soil, which Iran regards as a threat against its national security.

The Iranian Army’s Ground Forces on Friday held military exercises codenamed Fatehan-e Khaybar (Conquerors of Khaybar) in the northwestern part of the country.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has criticized Iran’s exercises. Tehran has hit back by saying that holding drills is part of the national sovereignty, warning that Israel’s anti-Iran activities in neighboring countries will not be tolerated.

On Sunday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said the interference of foreign actors in the region is a source of discord and damage, warning that those who suffer from the illusion of trusting foreign forces to establish security in their country “will soon get slapped.”

Armenian FM arrives in Tehran

On Monday, Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan arrived in Tehran to meet his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, the two foreign ministers will issue a joint press statement after their scheduled meeting.

Mirzoyan and Amir-Abdollahian met on the sidelines of the latest session of the UN General Assembly in New York last month, when the former called for expansion of cooperation with the Islamic Republic in the oil and energy sectors.

In his Sunday remarks, Pashinyan pointed out that he has met with Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi twice, which he said shows how much Armenia values its relations with Iran.

ME