Armenia-Iran free trade cooperation discussed in Yerevan  

Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan on Monday received Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri, the ambassador of the Islamic Republic in Yerevan, to discuss bilateral cooperation affairs.

Greeting the diplomat, Kerobyan highly praised especially the Armenian-Iranian friendship, appreciating the developing strong trade-economic relations. The minister expressed hope that the framework of partnership will broaden further to solidify the existing ties.

The ambassador, for his part, congratulated the minister on taking office, highlighting the necessity of realizing the great potential of trade-economic cooperation. He expressed hope for a more active partnership in the future to allow for the practical implementation of previously agreed joint projects and initiatives. To that effect, Mr. Zohouri proposed  considering the possibilities of a joint roadmap to establish specific timeframes for each particular project.

According to a press release by the Ministry of Economy, sectors such as horticulture, cattle-breeding and fish industries were particularly under spotlight.

The ambassador stressed the need of organizing exhibitions and video-conferences between the interested sides to foster the business relations. Both sides prioritized also future efforts towards increasing the bilateral overturn.

Addressing the business agenda, the ambassador and the minister considered plans for boosting cooperation between the free trade zones in Iran and Armenia (Araz and Meghri), and perspectives for establishing joint enterprises.

Agreeing that Armena's membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) opens up broad opportunities for the country, the ambassador expressed hope that the idea will not only promote economic development but also, in the long run, enable both countries to increase exports to the EAEU member states.  

Minister Kerobyan expressed his willingness to study the existing cooperation-related problems to achieve their quickest possible solution, paving way for the implementation of bilateral projects.