Iran's president arrives in Armenia

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has arrived in the Armenian capital city of Yerevan for an official visit to hold talks with senior Armenian officials. President Ahmadinejad's day-long visit to Yerevan began on Friday at the invitation of his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan and in response to his earlier trip to Tehran in March, 2011. The Iranian chief executive's visit is aimed at discussing ways to promote amicable relations between Tehran and Yerevan. The shipment of Iran's oil products to Armenia and construction of connecting routes are among the main topics on the agenda of talks between the two countries' senior officials. The value of trade transactions between Iran and Armenia reached 270 million dollars in 2010, but it currently stands at 300 million dollars. The two countries also took major strides over the past 20 years towards the expansion of economic ties particularly in energy sector. Ahmadinejad was scheduled to pay a one-day trip to Armenia on June 6, 2011 to reciprocate his Armenian counterpart's previous visit. However, Iran's Presidential Office announced that the trip was canceled following a mutual agreement by Tehran and Yerevan. Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said at the time that the trip had been delayed as more time was needed to draw up and finalize relevant documents for bilateral contracts to be signed. Ahmadinejad's last visit to Armenia took place on October 22, 2007, in which he was accompanied by a high-ranking delegation. During the two-day visit, Iran and Armenia signed four memoranda of understanding and issued a joint statement.