A joint statement on the “consultations” said senior diplomats from the three nations discussed “connectivity initiatives, engagement in multilateral fora, and regional developments.”
“They also explored ways to promote trade, tourism and cultural exchanges while strengthening people-to-people ties,” it said.
The parties further “emphasized the need for fostering close cooperation” under the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) project initiated by Russia, Iran and India in 2000. They “highlighted the role of [Iran’s] Chabahar Port in this regard,” added the statement.
India has built and operates two terminals at the Gulf of Oman port to bypass Pakistan in cargo traffic with Iran, Afghanistan and central Asian countries. The Armenian government suggested in 2021 that Indian companies use Chabahar for cargo shipments to not only Armenia but also neighboring Georgia, Russia and even Europe.
Armenia has long maintained a cordial relationship with Iran. It has deepened its ties with India in the last few years, notably through a series of contracts signed with Indian arms manufacturers. The three countries held their first trilateral talks on the mutual transport links in Yerevan in April 2023.
Azerbaijan’s subsequent takeover of Nagorno-Karabakh raised more fears that it will also attack Armenia to open an exterritorial land corridor to its Nakhichevan exclave passing through Syunik, the sole Armenian province bordering Iran. Tehran is strongly opposed to the so-called “Zangezur corridor” sought by Azerbaijan as well as Turkey.
In October 2023, the Armenian government contracted two Iranian companies to upgrade a 32-kilometer section of Syunik’s main highway leading to the Iranian border. Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehrzad Bazrpash attended the signing of the $215 million contract in Yerevan, underscoring its geopolitical significance for the Islamic Republic.