Iranian-Armenian relations

[Mos]

Re: Iranian-Armenian relations

Ahmadinejad is quickly losing power in his own country as the clerical leaders are becoming increasingly tense with him. He may be replaced soon also.

It's hard to say the actual underlying reason to this. Of course, they will say there was some minor error like not having documents ready, but in my view it's very possible for that to be a cover for a deeper reason. For example, religious elements in Iran putting pressure against the visit, or US putting pressure on Armenia, and so on. However, if he visits in a matter of days, than maybe it is just technical, but if it's stretched on for longer, than most likely a deeper reason.

[Federate]

Re: Iranian-Armenian relations

A few reasons are named here.
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Ahmadinejad Visit To Armenia Cancelled At Last Minute

06.06.2011
Sargis Harutyunyan

Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad cancelled a visit to Armenia just hours before his planned arrival in Yerevan on Monday for reasons that were not immediately clear.

The visit was announced by the Iranian government late last month and confirmed by President Serzh Sarkisian’s office on Saturday. The latter gave no details of its agenda, though.

In a short statement issued on Monday, the Armenian presidential press service said the trip has been put off “by mutual consent.” “It will be undertaken in due course,” it said without elaboration.

The official Iranian IRNA news agency quoted a spokesman for Ahmadinejad, Mohammad-Hassan Salehi-Maram, as saying that the Armenian side “did not prepare documents” that were due to be signed in Yerevan. The official did not specify what those documents are.

According to another Tehran-based agency, ISNA, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast gave a similar reason for the extraordinary delay. Mehmanparast expressed confidence that the unspecified documents will be finalized and the Iranian leader will visit Armenia “in the near future.”

“The Islamic Republic of Iran and Armenia enjoy friendly relations and good neighborliness and authorities of the two countries are continuously in contact,” he was reported to say.

Ahmadinejad was due to fly to Yerevan one week after a regular session of an Iranian-Armenian inter-governmental commission on economic cooperation that was held in Tehran. The meeting was co-chaired by Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi and Armenian Energy and Natural Resources Minister Armen Movsisian.

Salehi and Movsisian signed a memorandum of understanding to boost cooperation on oil, gas and electricity and expand overall economic ties between the two neighboring countries. A key element of that cooperation is joint Armenian-Iranian energy projects.

Those include the construction of two hydro-electric plants on the Arax river marking the Armenian-Iranian border and a pipeline that will ship Iranian fuel to Armenia. The two sides also plan to start building soon a third high-voltage transmission line connecting their power grids.

It is not clear whether these projects require the signing of additional Armenian-Iranian agreements.

Vahan Hovannisian, a senior parliamentarian and a leader of the opposition Armenian Revolutionary Federation, suggested that the visit was postponed because of other issues. “In all likelihood, some issues requiring the clarification of the Armenian side’s position were added to the agenda of the Iranian president’s visit at the last minute,” he told journalists. “My words are not based on mere assumptions.”

Hovannisian would not be drawn on those issues. He said only that Ahmadinejad will travel to Armenia after Yerevan clears up its position on them.

Alexander Arzumanian, another opposition politician who served as Armenia’s foreign minister from 1996-1998, linked the trip cancellation with the latest developments in international efforts to end the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He specifically cited a recent joint statement by the U.S., Russian and French presidents that raised fresh hopes for an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace accord.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has always been jealous about not being represented in processes going over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” Arzumanian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service. He argued that Iranian officials have repeatedly voiced strong opposition to the possible deployment of a Western-led peacekeeping force in the conflict zone, which is very close to Iran’s northwestern frontier.

Sarkisian and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev are expected to meet again later this month for what could prove to be decisive peace talks.

Arzumanian noted at the same time that domestic Iranian politics may have also been a reason. Ahmadinejad is increasingly locked in a power struggle with the Islamic Republic’s clerical leadership

The Iranian president is facing a deadline to name an oil minister and OPEC envoy ahead of a meeting of that oil-exporting group scheduled for June 8. His attempt to take over supervision of the Oil Ministry and lead the Iranian delegation to OPEC himself was thwarted by the Guardians Council vetting body and parliament.

Ali Geranmayeh, a former Iranian diplomat who now teaches international relations at the SOAS university in London, agreed that this uncertainty might have forced Ahmadinejad not to leave the country for the time being. “But there may have also been external reasons, including Turkey’s approaches to Armenian-Iranian relations,” he told RFE/RL.

http://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/24225302.html

[Mos]

Re: Iranian-Armenian relations

Well this is surprising, I wonder what the real reason was:

Ahmadinejad’s visit to Armenia put off




June 06, 2011 | 10:36
YEREVAN. - Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to Armenia was putt off, Spokesperson for Armenian President Armen Arzumanyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

According to the press officer, the visit was postponed by the agreement of the two sides.

Ahmadinejad's Armenia visit postponed
Mon Jun 6, 2011 7:56AM


Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has postponed his planned visit to Armenia because "the documents to be exchanged between the two states were not ready," an Iranian official says.


"The visit of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Armenia has been postponed because the host country had not prepared the documents that were to be exchanged between the two states," IRNA quoted Mohammad Hassan Salehi-Maram, the deputy head of the presidential office for communications and information dissemination, as saying.

The Iranian official noted that President Ahmadinejad would go to Yerevan after the documents were prepared.

The Iranian chief executive was slated to travel to Armenia on Monday at the head of a high-ranking politico-economic delegation.

During the visit, officials from the two countries are to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on mutual economic cooperation.

President Ahmadinejad previously paid a state visit to Armenia in 2007 and held talks with top officials of the country. During the visit, the two sides signed four Memoranda of Understanding and issued a joint communique on the expansion of bilateral cooperation.

Iran and Armenia have taken major strides towards promoting mutual relations in the past few years.

DB/MMA/HRF

[Tigranakert]

Re: Iranian-Armenian relations

Iranians are not neutral, they are rather pro-Armenian and anti-Azeri. There have been major clashes between Azerbaijan and Iran, and Iran is doing everything in it's might to "infiltrate" Azerbaijan with their Shia-religion ideology, and the current government of Azerbaijan is making direct claims to regions in Northern-Iran.

[Mos]

Re: Iranian-Armenian relations

Amasing how you come up with these type of conclusions.

In regards to Ahmadinejad's second visit:
Iran knows how isolated its getting surounded by so called friends who are ready to stage the Western attacks on its soil.....now how Armenia will support Iran being the only true ally is a "test of Times".

What's so surprising about what I said?

[Eddo211]

Re: Iranian-Armenian relations

So the way I see it, is that Armenia is netural on Iran in the international stage, and in exchange Iran promises not to help Azeris in the Karabakh issue?

Amasing how you come up with these type of conclusions.

In regards to Ahmadinejad's second visit:
Iran knows how isolated its getting surounded by so called friends who are ready to stage the Western attacks on its soil.....now how Armenia will support Iran being the only true ally is a "test of Times".

[Mos]

Re: Iranian-Armenian relations

Iran-Armenia relations labeled as “guarantees in exchange for balanced position”
June 04, 2011 | 00:28

YEREVAN. - “Guarantees in exchange for a balanced position” was among comments by expert in Iranian studies Karine Gevorgyan, describing the relations between Armenia and Iran.

Commenting on the Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s forthcoming visit to Yerevan, the expert stressed that the developments in the Middle East and Northern Africa caused a necessity of “time check”.

In general, the relationship between the two countries is a guarantee from Iran in exchange for Armenia’s balanced position, Gevorgyan said in an interview with Armenian News-NEWS.am. The expert noted that it can include both economic and political guarantees.

So the way I see it, is that Armenia is netural on Iran in the international stage, and in exchange Iran promises not to help Azeris in the Karabakh issue?

[Eddo211]

Re: Iranian-Armenian relations

^^^^A test of times for Armenia....

[KarotheGreat]

Re: Iranian-Armenian relations

Iran-Armenia relations labeled as “guarantees in exchange for balanced position”
June 04, 2011 | 00:28

YEREVAN. - “Guarantees in exchange for a balanced position” was among comments by expert in Iranian studies Karine Gevorgyan, describing the relations between Armenia and Iran.

Commenting on the Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s forthcoming visit to Yerevan, the expert stressed that the developments in the Middle East and Northern Africa caused a necessity of “time check”.

In general, the relationship between the two countries is a guarantee from Iran in exchange for Armenia’s balanced position, Gevorgyan said in an interview with Armenian News-NEWS.am. The expert noted that it can include both economic and political guarantees.

[Artsakh]

Re: Iranian-Armenian relations

President Ahmadjiezads upcoming visit to Armenia comes ahead of the Kazan meeting regarding Karabakh, I am sure there is a connection. He's going to tell the Armenians personally, "don't think about giving up an inch of land." Iranians don't want any change in the status quo, which suits Armenia very well.