Iranian FM due in Armenia tomorrow

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi is due to visit Armenia on Tuesday. "Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi will arrive in Armenia on November 8," the Armenian Foreign Ministry's press service said in a statement on Monday. The statement further pointed out that Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan will host the Iranian official. In addition to President Sargsyan, Salehi is also scheduled to meet with his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandyan, head of the Armenian NA Hovik Abrahamyan and Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Armen Movsisyan. During the meetings, the two sides are due to discuss a wide range of issues pertaining to the two countries' bilateral ties and cooperation, and exchange views over regional and international developments and other issues of mutual interest. Meantime, Iranian Deputy Interior Minister for International Affairs Mehdi Mohammadi-Fard told FNA in mid October that Iran's Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar would travel to Armenia on November 6. Mohammadi-Fard also told FNA that the two-day visit would take place at the invitation of Armenian Minister of Territorial Administration Armen Gevorgyan and would focus on discussions over bilateral ties and cooperation in security, border and economic issues. Also, earlier this month the Iranian Presidential Office's Director-General for International Affairs told FNA that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is slated to pay a visit to Armenia in the near future. Mohammad Reza Forqani also mentioned that Ahmadinejad was due to visit Armenia at the invitation of President Serzh Sargsian on June 4, but the trip was postponed to some other time. The Iranian president was last in Armenia in October 2007. During his two day visit to the Central Asian state, Ahmadinejad met with university students and professors and Iranian expatriates in Armenia, and signed four agreements and a joint statement. Also during the same visit, the University of Yerevan granted an honorary PhD degree to the Iranian president. Sargsian was in Tehran in March to attend the Iranian New Year festivities.