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A leading Iranian scholar has lauded the country’s consistently good ties with Armenia compared to the “ups and downs” Tehran has experienced with its other neighbors over the years.
Vali Kaleji, who holds a PhD in Regional Studies, Central Asian and Caucasian Studies from the University of Tehran, spoke in an interview with Armenpress about Armenia–Iran relations and their prospects for development.
“Among our neighbors, we have stable ties with Armenia, and this is unique compared to our relations with other countries. For example, our relations with Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, the Arab states, and Pakistan have experienced ups and downs in recent decades, but Iran’s relations with Armenia have always remained stable. Also, the relations between Iran and Armenia are rooted in history, shared culture, and other ties,” the Iranian expert said, stressing that Armenia is Iran’s only Christian neighbor.
Kaleji pointed out that the Armenian community of Iran also plays a very significant role in the development and stability of Armenia–Iran relations, as it is highly respected by the Iranian people.
“On this historical and cultural foundation, we have good relations, but that is not enough, and we must improve and elevate the level of our relations. Fortunately, trade turnover between the two countries has reached about 1 billion dollars. This is a great achievement, since, for example, five years ago it was even less than half a billion dollars. And now the governments of the two countries have decided to raise the volume of trade turnover to 3 billion dollars. This is a very difficult goal, but both sides are trying to reach this long-term and important milestone,” Kaleji emphasized.
From the perspective of economic relations, the expert also highlighted the importance for Iran of Armenia’s membership in the Eurasian Economic Union.
“We don’t have a shared land border with the other members of the Union—Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan—and from this standpoint Armenia is an advantage for Iran. The free trade agreement between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union entered into force in May 2025, and thousands of goods can now be exported and imported between Armenia and Iran easily, without complications. This has also contributed to the increase in trade and business volumes between Iran and Armenia,” the Iranian expert said.
According to Kaleji, another factor ensuring the prospects for the development of relations and partnership between the two countries is the visa-free regime between Armenia and Iran.
In the expert’s view, this also increases the free movement of tourists, thereby boosting the tourism sector between the two countries. However, it also results in huge queues forming at the borders of both states.
“To address this situation, we need to accelerate the construction of a second bridge over the Araks River to reduce traffic and facilitate cargo and transit transportation between our countries. At the Norduz and Meghri border checkpoints we must build the second bridge. We have the same experience with Azerbaijan at the Astara border: Iran built a second bridge in Astara, which contributed to facilitating trade activity with Azerbaijan,” the expert noted, expressing hope that the construction will be carried out as quickly as possible.
Armenia and Iran agreed to build a second bridge on their land border during Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s visit to Yerevan earlier this year.