T hanks to the joint efforts of the Public Relations and Information Center SNCO of the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, the Matenadaran Institute of Ancient Manuscripts named after Mesrop Mashtots, Cultural Center of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Armenia held a forum entitled “Centuries-old historical and cultural ties as evidence of Armenian-Iranian friendship” in Matenadaran.  

Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Armenia Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri, director of the Public Relations and Information Center SNCO Gor Tsarukyan, director of Matenadaran Vahan Ter-Ghevondyan, the representative of the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Armenia Lilit Sargsyan and the cultural attaché of the Iranian Embassy in Armenia Seyed Hossein Tabatabai made a welcoming speech at the event. The forum was moderated by the head of the Orbeli Analytical-Research Center Michael Yalanuzyan.  





Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Armenia Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri noted in his welcoming speech, that close ties between the Iranian side and the Orbeli Analytical Center were established in 2022. The Ambassador emphasized the importance of preserving the common historical heritage and religious places of the two countries, especially the Blue Mosque in Yerevan and the Armenian churches in Iran, as well as the role of the centers for Iranian studies in getting to know each other better.



“It is important that Iranians and Armenians can represent the status of the Blue Mosque and the freedom of Muslims to perform their religious rites in Armenia as a symbol of tolerance in Armenia, and on the other hand, the status of Armenian churches and the importance that the Iranian government and people attach to this issue is exemplary”, noted the ambassador.        



Gor Tsarukyan, Director of the Public Relations and Information Center SNCO of the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia noted in his speech, that Armenia and Iran have a centuries-old history of military, political, economic and cultural ties and despite the upheavals at different times, these ties were built on mutual respect and cultural tolerance. He emphasized that the event is taking place against the backdrop of a tense regional situation and referring to the blockade of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijani “environmentalists”, noted that this created an existential threat for tens of thousands of people leaving in Artsakh: “This unprecedented step is not a separate situational manifestation. This is a deliberate action, the aim of which is to deprive the Armenians of Artsakh of the right to live in their historical homeland. This is another manifestation of long-standing political and cultural persecution, which took a new form and created new challenges for the Armenians of Artsakh. However, we should not despair and we should continue to look ahead, trying to find solutions to complicated problems.”.