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Iran's president speaks out against presence of foreign forces in Transcaucasia

Ebrahim Raisi expressed "support for the peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan" and the Islamic republic's readiness to "guarantee the strategic security of the Caucasus region"

DUBAI, February 15. /TASS/. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at a meeting with Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan spoke out against the presence of forces from states that are not part of Transcaucasia in the region.

"We do not agree with the presence of foreigners in the region [Transcaucasia] there to supposedly help solve problems, and we believe that their presence will not only fail to help cope with challenges but actually add to the problems the peoples and governments of the region," Raisi's press service quoted the president as saying.

The Iranian president also expressed "support for the peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan" and the Islamic republic's readiness to "guarantee the strategic security of the Caucasus region." According to Raisi’s press service, Grigoryan at the meeting "thanked Iran for supporting Armenia's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity." The Iranian president supported "the implementation of all agreements concluded between Tehran and Yerevan."

Earlier, in the morning, Grigoryan and Iranian Vice President Davoud Manzour signed a 19-point agreement on economic cooperation at a meeting of the joint intergovernmental commission. According to IRNA, as part of the commission’s work in Tehran, negotiations were held on the development of trade, as well as cooperation in the customs, food, medical, information and investment sectors. Iranian and Armenian officials discussed issues related to the growth of cross-border trade and the use of the land border between the two countries for the development of international transportation corridors.

According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, trade between Iran and Armenia amounted to $710 million in 2022. The Armenian Security Council said earlier that it could reach $1 billion by the end of 2023.

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