Tension in Caucasus region to no country's benefit

Shamkhani made the remarks in a meeting with his Armenian counterpart Armen Gregorian in which the two sides spoke about bilateral relations and most important regional issues.

Gregorian, heading a high-ranking delegation, arrived in Tehran on Sunday morning.

Shamkhani referred to the historical relations and cultural ties between the two Iranian and Armenian nations in the meeting, and said, "Sustainability and firmness of the two countries' political and economic relations are major characteristics of Tehran-Yerevan friendly ties."

The SNSC secretary said that expansion of cooperation and interactions with the neighboring countries is an unchangeable rule in Islamic Republic of Iran's foreign policy, and a top priority in 13th government's agenda.

"Peaceful coexistence and shared efforts aimed at elimination of regional tensions by resorting to peaceful methods is the Islamic Republic of Iran's emphatic proposals to all sides in conflicts," he reiterated.

Shamkhani referred to the positive perspective of Tehran-Yerevan economic interactions and increased commercial exchanges, arguing that reaching the 3-billion-dollar annual bilateral trade volume is an achievable objective.

"Iran and Armenia are both situated along the North-South Corridor, which portrays a bright perspective for further deepening our bilateral trade relations," he added.

Shamkhani said that keeping in mind that tension in the Caucasus region is to no country's benefit, any geographic change in Southern Caucasus region will lead to intensifying tension in the region which is the demand of the enemies of the region's peace and security.

Shamkhani said that dialogue and continuous interactions must replace any harsh approaches to end the existing challenges in the region.

He said that the Caucasus region is passing through sensitive conditions and expressed hope that Azerbaijan and Armenia will observe self-restraint, and manage to pass through tension relying on tension and crisis management.

Gregorian, for his part, pointed to the age-old Tehran-Yerevan relations, and asked for further deepening and expansion of relations and cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Ian, which he said is a top priority for the Armenian government and nation in their foreign policy.

Gregorian said that the Islamic Republic of Iran plays an important role in expansion of relations among Southern Caucasus region countries and promoting the regional peace and stability.

He lauded the Islamic republic of Iran's detent regional policy and congratulated the recent Tehran-Riyadh agreement, and said, "The only way to end regional tensions is resorting to dialogue and interactions among countries."

The secretary of Armenian National Security Council also referred to the two countries' electricity and gas swap projects to Turkmenistan as important issues in bilateral relations, stressing that the bilateral economic projects must be accelerated.