The launch of the North-South Corridor will benefit all our neighbors, especially Armenia. Roohollah Modabber (Iran), independent analyst and researcher in the media, stated this at the international forum, entitled "New Horizons of Cooperation between Armenia and EAEU with BRICS and SCO," which is being held in Yerevan.

"Thanks to the fact that the cooperation between Tehran and Moscow is diverse and based on friendly principles, and the prosperity of these relations can be seen especially in the last three years, Iran became a full member of BRICS in 2024, and a member of the SCO in 2023, as well as signed a free trade agreement with the EAEU. This important and valuable agreement was achieved thanks to the deepening of relations between Iran and Russia. This is important because the stronger the relationship between Iran and Russia, the better for their neighbors and the international order. Everyone can benefit from the cooperation between Iran and Russia in the geopolitical, economic, security, energy, and tourism spheres," Modabber said.

According to the analyst, "The International North-South Transport Corridor project, which is another important aspect of Iran-Russia cooperation and the most important global transit route, will connect the economies of the BRICS, SCO, EAEU and the JCPOA and other countries, and will enable faster, cheaper, and safer delivery of goods through open waters and the territory of Iran. In other words, the launch of the North-South Corridor will benefit all our neighbors, especially Armenia."

"It should be noted that Iran has always had good and friendly relations with Armenia. Tehran considers Yerevan a brotherly country and a partner. In this regard, the issues of economic cooperation are also prioritized. Iran plans to invest in Armenia's road, transport, and power plant projects, as well as to create a trade center in Yerevan to facilitate trade. Iran plans to increase the trade with Armenia first to $1 billion and then to $3 [billion].

Tehran gave Yerevan the opportunity to participate in the work of the Chabahar Port [of Iran], the most important point of the North-South Corridor.

It should be emphasized that the prospects of economic development without stable peace are extremely uncertain. In the first stage, it is necessary to ensure political stability in the South Caucasus. Tehran, having friendly and fraternal relations with both Armenia and Azerbaijan, in no way supports the change of the Armenian-Iranian border. In other words, Tehran will never allow a symbol of friendship, peace, and cooperation between the two countries—the historic 44-kilometer border between Iran and Armenia—to change, and the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, the former and new presidents of Iran, have directly and decisively stated this," said Roohollah Modabber.

He reminded that the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter accident in May, and new President Masoud Pezeshkian had noted the immutability of the existing border between Iran and Armenia.

"Thus, the first step in deepening trade cooperation should be the establishment of stable peace in the South Caucasus and the absence of geopolitical changes in the region.

As I have already mentioned, the North-South Corridor is a fast, safe, and relatively cheap route that will benefit all countries, even the members of the JCPOA. This route, compared to the Suez Canal, is more preferable for the countries of the Asia-Pacific region in terms of access to the eastern European market.

At the same time, all countries will benefit from it because the main principle of cooperation should be the achievement of collective benefits. Armenia will also gain significant advantages due to its location in the North-South corridor.

We must make efforts to turn Eurasia and the Caucasus region into a world trade and transit center and a safe intersection of world trade routes that will enable the expansion of international trade. In this regard, all countries of the Caucasus region should work towards strengthening peace and friendship.

I believe that we should respect the achievements of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which was initiated by Russia, and consider it as an organization that ensures security and peace in the Caucasus region and Central Asia.

I believe that security is the basis of the economy, and without it it is impossible to imagine economic cooperation. Therefore, if we can expand the CSTO, transform the association into the Eurasian Collective Security Treaty Organization and achieve the entry of Iran to it, we will be able to form a powerful coalition in the fields of security, economy, politics, and culture.

I am convinced that Russia and Iran are two pillars of security in the Caucasus, which, together with Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, can help resolve differences and contribute to peace and the development of economic cooperation.

We all want the world to be sustainable, and the economies of our neighboring countries prosper. Therefore, we should contribute to the expansion of cooperation in every possible way," Roohollah Modabber concluded.