Iran trusts Armenia on security over TRIPP project, Araghchi says

The Islamic Republic of Iran maintains close and productive diplomatic ties with the Republic of Armenia, and Tehran is fully confident that Yerevan will not take any steps contrary to Iran’s national security interests. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made the statement while answering journalists’ questions on the sidelines of the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) in Yerevan.

Operative Information Center-OMM reports that Araghchi, addressing regional concerns related to the “Trump Route” (the TRIPP project), said consultations between the parties are continuing without interruption.

The Iranian diplomat noted that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will hold a bilateral meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for the second time in two weeks. He said the pace of the meetings reflects the importance Tehran places on dialogue with Armenia’s leadership.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan earlier said Iran had formally asked Yerevan whether US troops or a military contingent would be stationed along the “Trump Route” and had received a negative response. Mirzoyan also claimed that Tehran’s position on the TRIPP project is sometimes misrepresented or deliberately exaggerated in Armenian society.

In July, Iran’s ambassador to Armenia, Khalil Shirgolami, said Tehran had proposed establishing a special bilateral mechanism for consultations and exchanges of views to address outstanding questions about the TRIPP project. Citing US President Donald Trump’s sanctions and pressure policy against the Iranian people, the diplomat stressed that concerns about the project should be resolved in a spirit of friendship and good-neighborly relations.