Armenia has advantage over Azerbaijan regarding access to Black Sea, Iran diplomat says

If we compare the routes to the Black Sea passing through Azerbaijan and Armenia, we will see that this route can be passed through the territory of Armenia two days earlier. Iran's Ambassador to Armenia, Mehdi Sobhani, stated this during a talk with reporters and analysts Tuesday.

In order to further increase the appeal of this road passing through Armenia, it is necessary to liberalize laws, reduce customs duties, build new roads or improve the existing ones, the Iranian diplomat added.

He noted that in the near future it is planned to hold a meeting between the Armenian and Iranian delegations which will work in this regard.

"For Iran, Armenia is the best direction for access to the north and the Black Sea. And for Armenia, Iran is also the best direction for access to the south, to the same Chabahar Port [of Iran]," added the Iranian envoy to Armenia.

He noted that there are still things to work on at the section of the road south of Yerevan—that is, within the framework of the North-South transport corridor.

"A contract was signed for the construction of the 32-kilometer section of the Agarak-Kajaran road [in Armenia]. At the end of February, it is planned to proceed to the practical steps of the implementation of this project. This road is the most important factor for increasing the trade," added Sobhani.

At the same time, he said that the southern part of the Armenian motorway needs a relief survey, taking into account that it is a mountainous country.

"If the road is built, it will be a revolutionary event for the region in terms of transportation," concluded the Iranian ambassador to Armenia.