Armenia and Iran sign memorandum on cooperation in sport and youth affairs

Armenia’s Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, Zhanna Andreasyan, received a delegation led by Iran’s Minister of Sport and Youth, Ahmad Donyamali. Deputy Minister Kristina Tataryan also attended the meeting.

According to a statement from the Armenian ministry, the two sides discussed deepening relations in sport and youth affairs. They highlighted the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in these areas between Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport and Iran’s Ministry of Sport and Youth.

Welcoming her counterpart, Andreasyan said several agreements discussed during her visit to Iran in 2025 were becoming a reality.

“The high-level political dialogue between Armenia and Iran also provides a favourable basis for further expanding cooperation in sport and youth affairs. I am confident that signing the memorandum of understanding will enable us to advance our joint initiatives in a coordinated way,” she said.

Donyamali said Iran attached importance to multifaceted cooperation with Armenia and outlined his country’s experience and achievements in sport.

Both countries were seen as having considerable potential to deepen cooperation, particularly in football, boxing, weightlifting and wrestling. The two sides stressed the importance of forming club teams, organising joint camps and training for coaches, and holding training camps in each other’s countries.

Andreasyan outlined the international competitions planned in Armenia next year, including the European Under-21 Karate Championships and the World Weightlifting Championships, saying Armenia would also be pleased to host Iranian teams.

The meeting also addressed opportunities for reciprocal visits by chess specialists, exchanges of experience and joint educational initiatives, given Iran’s interest in Armenia’s experience of teaching chess in schools.

Both sides emphasised cooperation in youth affairs, particularly dialogue between non-governmental organisations in the two countries, cooperation between young scientists and researchers, and exchanges of experience.

The meeting concluded with the signing of the memorandum, which both sides described as an important step towards strengthening the legal and institutional basis for bilateral cooperation.