Nikol Pashinyan had a working visit to Iran

The visit of the Prime Minister of Armenia to Iran will undoubtedly be a breakthrough in the development of both countries. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said this during a joint conference with the Prime Minister of Armenia in the “Saadabad” complex in Tehran. According to President Raisi, trade relations between Iran and Armenia have increased by 43 percent in recent months.

“Our goal is to increase trade relations to three billion dollars, which can be achieved with the will of both countries,” he added.

The Iranian president also spoke about regional developments. According to him, good relations between the two countries (Armenia and Iran-ed.) will definitely lead to better relations in the region and the world.

Noting that the Caucasus region is a part of Iran’s history, civilization, and culture, Raisi noted that regional developments, security, and peace are very important for Iran.

The president emphasized that regional issues should be solved by regional actors.

“Any foreign intervention in the region will create problems instead of solving the problem,” he said.

Armenia and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the extension of the electricity and gas agreement, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during the visit in Tehran, Mehr news agency reports.

PM Pashinyan highly appreciated Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s approach towards the Armenian community of Iran.

According to Pashinyan, the Islamic Republic of Iran can be a clear and explicit symbol of peaceful cooperation and coexistence among the followers of different religions.

Appreciating Iran’s principled views on peace and security in the Caucasus region, Pashinyan said: “I briefed Mr. Raisi about the tripartite meeting in Sochi and I agree with the views of the Iranian President regarding the establishment of stable peace and security in the region.”

It should be reminded that the Armenian PM arrived in Iran on November 1 on a working visit.

Putin and Erdogan discussed the results of the tripartite meeting held in Sochi

Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during which the results of the trilateral meeting of the heads of Armenia, Russia, and Azerbaijan in Sochi on October 31 were discussed, the Kremlin press service reports.

Detailed thoughts were exchanged regarding the situation related to the implementation of agreements on the export of grain from the Black Sea ports.

Putin informed Erdogan about the reasons for Russia’s decision to suspend the transaction. According to him, it is necessary to conduct a detailed investigation into the circumstances of the attacks on the infrastructures and ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, as well as to receive real guarantees from Kyiv on the unwavering observance of previous agreements, in particular, on not using the humanitarian corridor for military purposes.

The President of the Russian Federation clarified – only after that, it will be possible to consider the issue of resuming the work within the framework of the Black Sea initiative.

Artsakh FM commented on the results of the Pashinyan-Putin-Aliyev meeting held in Sochi

Artsakh welcomes the trilateral meeting between the leaders of Armenia, Russia, and Azerbaijan held in Sochi on October 31, but states that one should not expect a final settlement and peace from that meeting. Foreign Minister of Artsakh Davit Babayan commented on the results of the Sochi meeting in an interview with Armenpress.

“First of all, we need to understand that a comprehensive settlement is impossible during one meeting. It is not so because the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict is one of the most complex conflicts in the world, perhaps one of those like the Israeli-Arab one. The most important is that it was directly and indirectly fixed the issue is not closed. It was fixed that there are issues that are not agreed upon and it is necessary to work. Reference was made to several agreements, particularly the statement of November 9, 2020. This is very important and is the most tangible achievement”, he said.

Babayan also said that the fact that the role of the Russian peacekeeping mission in Nagorno Karabakh was highlighted during the meeting is another positive result of the meeting. According to him, this shows once again that a respective entity exists.

Russian FM commented on the results of the Pashinyan-Putin-Aliyev meeting held in Sochi

Russia and Armenia have laid a solid foundation for strategic partnership and cooperation in recent decades. This was stated on Tuesday in the message of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to the participants and organizers of the “Primakovian Readings” discussion platform session, which was presented by the Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopirkin.

“I heartily welcome the organizers and participants of the “Primakovian Readings” forum in Yerevan, which is a prestigious platform for expert discussions on the most urgent issues of the regional and international agenda. This session takes place in Armenia in the year when we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our brotherly countries. Over the past decades, relying on strong friendly ties and mutual sympathy, we have managed to lay solid foundations for a long-term strategic partnership and alliance,” Lavrov said in his message. 

Earlier, the press secretary of the Russian President, Dmitry Peskov, and Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopirkin also spoke about the subject. 

“Armenia and Azerbaijan have confirmed their interest in Russia’s mediation in the settlement of the conflict. The parties have confirmed their interest in continuing our mediation efforts, so the work will continue,” Peskov said.

“As our president said, we have not yet managed to reach an agreement on all issues, but it is very important that this discussion took place. It is very important that the parties really showed a willingness to move forward in the settlement process,” the diplomat said.

The fact that the meeting took place in Russia, according to the ambassador, proves that Russia, despite its active involvement in other regions, pays great attention to the South Caucasus and does not weaken its efforts in the settlement process.

Kopirkin emphasized the fact that Vladimir Putin expressed his loyalty to the allied relations with Armenia. According to the ambassador, it is an important impulse for Armenian society, as well as for other countries in the region and beyond.

Referring to the issue of Artsakh, Kopirkin noted. “The issue of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh should be left to the coming generations when conditions will be created that will be acceptable to everyone and will allow solving the issue fairly.”

Lukashenko commented on the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko discussed the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border at a meeting with CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas on November 1. As the BELTA agency writes, the head of the country spoke as openly and honestly as possible about this and other issues related to the situation in the CSTO.

“This conflict (between Armenia and Azerbaijan – ed.) must be ended. And God forbid, we will provoke a conflict on the Tajik border. This is also unacceptable. We have to put an end to this. It will not work if we cannot stop these conflicts within the CSTO framework. We should seriously discuss these issues at the next CSTO session,” said the head of Belarus.

Lukashenko also noted that Russia is already a mediator in the settlement of the situation between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and that is enough.

The next CSTO summit will take place on November 23 in Yerevan

At the meeting with the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, the CSTO Secretary General informed about the preparation process of the regular session of the CSTO Collective Security Council to be held in Yerevan on November 23, as well as the implementation of a number of separate instructions of the Collective Security Council. 

The parties discussed the situation in the organization’s area of ​​responsibility, including the results of the extraordinary session of the CSTO Collective Security Council held on October 28.