Iranian envoy voices concern over US presence on Armenia border

Iran has expressed serious concern over the presence of the United States near the Armenian-Iranian border, citing Washington’s hostile stance towards Iran, particularly that of US President Donald Trump, Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Khalil Shirgolami said.

Speaking at a conference on the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) on September 17, Shirgolami said Tehran had raised its concerns with Yerevan, News.am reports.

“Given the hostile attitude of the United States, especially Trump, towards the people of Iran, the Islamic Republic was seriously concerned about the presence of the Americans on the Armenian-Iranian border and expressed these concerns to Armenia,” he said.

At the same time, Shirgolami said Tehran was confident that Armenia and Iran could properly manage the issue given their “brotherly relations”.

“If the United States, in implementing TRIPP, proceeds from the principle that the development of relations between Armenia and Iran should be hindered as little as possible, this would also be a very important achievement. However, it is still very difficult to express an opinion on this issue,” he said.

According to the ambassador, the best way to address Iran’s concerns would be to establish an institutional mechanism through which emerging issues could be discussed and managed.

Shirgolami also noted that there were disagreements within Armenia over aspects of the project’s implementation.

He described TRIPP as a “historic test” that would demonstrate how far-sighted and prudent Armenia could be in handling the project.

“We hope that the Armenian Government will approach this important issue in a way that does not harm the country’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity, while allowing it to consistently advance its economic interests without damaging relations with its neighbours,” Shirgolami said.

By Vugar Khalilov