35th Anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Armenia

On September 21, a formal reception dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Armenia was held at the Iranian Art Museum Garden. The reception was attended by Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Co-Chair of the Armenia-Iran Intergovernmental Joint Commission Hamid Pourmohammadi, Head of the "Saadi" Foundation Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, Head of the "Iranology" Foundation Ali Akbar Salehi, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mehdi Sobhani, Deputy Minister of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics Seyed Hamzeh Ghalandari, Head of the Iran-Armenia Friendship Group of the Iranian Parliament Ara Shahverdyan, members of the Friendship Group, heads and representatives of diplomatic missions accredited to Iran, representatives of the Iranian-Armenian community, and cultural and public figures.

The formal event commenced with the national anthems of the Republic of Armenia and the Islamic Republic of Iran, followed by remarks by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to the Islamic Republic of Iran Grigor Hakobyan and Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hamid Pourmohammadi.

Congratulating Armenia on the 35th anniversary of its independence, Ambassador Hakobyan highlighted the importance of the centuries-old friendly relations between Armenia and Iran, mutual respect, and support for one another in difficult times. Referring to the theme "Independence: Enduring Statehood," the Ambassador emphasized the importance of peace and stability as prerequisites for the development of Armenia and the entire region, as well as the unblocking of regional communications in the context of strengthening ties among peoples and creating new opportunities for cooperation.

Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hamid Pourmohammadi highlighted the historically established friendly relations between Armenia and Iran and the foundation of strong mutual trust. He noted that in recent years bilateral relations have been developing dynamically, encompassing numerous areas. Referring to the regional situation, the Vice President noted that peace and stability in the Caucasus are among Iran's strategic priorities, reaffirming the unacceptability of the use of force or the threat thereof, as well as Iran's support for the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.