Prime Minister Pashinyan, Iranian President Pezeshkian attend opening of Armenia-Iran business forum
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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian took part in the opening of the Armenia-Iran Business Forum, aimed at deepening and diversifying trade and economic ties between the two countries.
The forum aims to create new opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation, promote joint projects, encourage investment flows, exchange technological experience and establish direct contacts between business representatives.
In his speech, Prime Minister Pashinyan stressed the importance of strengthening economic relations as a key factor in developing bilateral ties.
“Economic relations and their development are of great importance in the development of bilateral relations between the two friendly states. I am pleased to note that the close political relations between our governments create the necessary environment to promote cooperation between Armenian and Iranian businessmen,” he said.
Pashinyan noted that with the statement he and President Pezeshkian signed earlier Tuesday, the sides reaffirmed their goal of increasing bilateral trade volume to $1 billion and then $3 billion.
According to the Prime Minister, trade turnover between Armenia and Iran has shown steady growth. Last year, it reached $748 million, a nearly six percent increase. In the first half of 2025, the figure stood at $346 million, with imports from Iran rising by more than 10 percent to $300 million, while exports continued to include electricity, copper concentrate, and agricultural products.
“This is the foundation on which we should build not only trade but also joint production, creating mutually beneficial added value,” Pashinyan said. He underlined the importance of developing cross-border infrastructure in the energy, transport and logistics sectors, linking it with the Armenian Government’s Crossroads of Peace project. He highlighted that an Iranian company is currently building the 32-kilometer Agarak-Kajaran road section as part of the program.
“The Crossroads of Peace project aims to create additional interconnections between the North and the South, the East and the West. Given Armenia's strategic location and its diversified foreign relations, our country can serve as a gateway for Iranian partners to both the EAEU and the European Union member states,” the Prime Minister said.
Pashinyan expressed hope that the forum would strengthen business ties and foster new partnerships.
In his speech, President Pezeshkian said the forum was intended to expand trade turnover and address challenges faced by investors and industrial actors. He emphasized that important agreements had been reached in all areas discussed, creating a platform for cooperation between investors and trade representatives.
Pezeshkian noted that increasing bilateral trade to $3 billion is achievable, stressing that success depends on the efforts of producers, investors and industry representatives.
“The rest depends on you, the producers, investors, and industry representatives. If you set bigger goals, you will accomplish bigger things,” he said.
The Iranian President expressed gratitude to the Armenian government and Prime Minister Pashinyan for discussing issues in an atmosphere of mutual understanding and emphasized that it would contribute to the expansion of cooperation between the two countries in various fields.