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Iran’s Khamenei Notes ‘Common Interests’ With Armenia


Iran -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei delivers a speech in Tehran, March 20, 2021.
Iran -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei delivers a speech in Tehran, March 20, 2021.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has reaffirmed support for closer relations with Armenia sought by the Islamic Republic.

Khamenei wrote to President Armen Sarkissian on Wednesday in response to the latter’s recent message congratulating him on Nowruz, the ancient Persian New Year.

According to Sarkissian’s office, Khamenei said he hopes that the two neighboring states will deepen their “long-standing” relationship for the sake of stability in the region, “global justice” and other “common interests.”

Visiting Yerevan in late January, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif likewise reaffirmed Tehran’s desire to continue seeking closer relations with neighboring Yerevan after the autumn war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Zarif expressed strong support for Armenia’s territorial integrity when he discussed regional security and bilateral ties with his Armenian counterpart Ara Ayvazian. The two countries are concerned about the “presence of terrorists and foreign fighters” in the region, he said, seemingly alluding to the widely documented participation of Middle Eastern mercenaries in the six-week war on Azerbaijan’s side.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian met with Khamenei during an official visit to Tehran in February 2019.

Khamenei reportedly urged Pashinian at the time to strengthen Armenian-Iranian relations “contrary to what the United States desires.” “Iran and Armenia have never had any problems with each other,” he said.

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