Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received Mohammad Reza Aref, First Deputy President of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Prime Minister congratulated Mr. Aref on his appointment to the responsible position, wishing him all the best in his future activities. Nikol Pashinyan noted that the continuous development of Armenia's relations with Iran is one of the priorities of the Armenian Government. The Prime Minister highly appreciated Iran's firm and public position regarding the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia and the inviolability of internationally recognized state borders.

Mohammad Reza Aref thanked for the warm welcome and congratulated on the anniversary of Armenia's independence. Reaffirming the words of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the First Deputy President of the Republic of Iran emphasized once again that Iran fully supports the territorial integrity of Armenia and considers any border changes in the region unacceptable. At the same time, he emphasized Iran's determination and readiness for multi-sector cooperation with Armenia.

Prime Minister Pashinyan referred to the latest developments in the discussions on the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty, the "Crossroads of Peace" project of the Armenian Government aimed at unblocking regional channels and the principles of the latter, stressing that Armenia is ready to contribute to the development of the trade and economic relations of the interested states by unblocking based on the principles of sovereignty, jurisdiction, equality and reciprocity.

In turn, the First Deputy President of the Islamic Republic of Iran emphasized that his country supports the "Crossroads of Peace" project of the Government of the Republic of Armenia.

The interlocutors discussed issues related to bilateral trade and economic relations and their development, cooperation in energy, infrastructure, road construction, tourism and other directions.

The sides exchanged ideas on other issues of mutual interest.