Iran opposes presence of foreign forces in Armenia 

Armenia’s territorial integrity is a “red line” for Iran, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned yesterday.

Zarif’s remarks came during a meeting with his Armenian counterpart, Ara Aivazyan, in Yerevan during a trip to the capital city before he sets off to Azerbaijan and Russia.

Officials reportedly discussed “bilateral relations between Armenia and Iran, as well as other regional issues.”

“Iran attaches big importance to the territorial integrity of all countries, and respects and follows that all nations’ religious and other rights are always protected,” Zarif was quoted by Mehr News Agency as saying. “Our red line is the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia,” he stressed.

For his part, Aivazyan described Tehran as an “economic partner to Armenia”, noting the importance of developing bilateral relations between the two countries. He added that his meeting with Zarif had discussed relations on various levels, including “banking, transportation, trade and the Aras River between the two countries.”

Zarif is scheduled to meet with the Armenian prime minister and to visit Georgia and Turkey as part of his official tour.

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