Expansion of Iran-Armenia environmental ties urged

Sajjad made the remarks in a meeting with Armenian Minister of Environmental Protection Artsvik Minasyan.

The two sides also agreed to step up Tehran-Yerevan joint efforts to monitor and reduce water pollution in the Aras River, IRNA reported. 

In the meeting, the two officials, accompanied by Secretary-General of the Iran Nanotechnology Initiative Council (INIC) Saeed Sarkar decided that Iran and Armenia should put efforts into monitoring water pollution in Aras River and take measures to stop the river pollution.

Touching upon the Islamic Republic of Iran's pivotal situation in the region, Sarkar, for his part, voiced Tehran's readiness to expand cooperation with Armenia in energy, medical and environmental arenas. 

Minasyan also hailed expansion of environmental cooperation with Iran. 

The Aras River flows along the countries of Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran. Its total length is 1,072 kilometers. Given its length and a basin that covers an area of 102,000 square kilometers, it is one of the largest rivers of the Caucasus.

The Aras River rises near Erzurum, Turkey. It meets with the Akhurian River southeast of Digor, flows along the Turkish-Armenian border, and then near a corridor that connects Turkey to Nakhchivan.

It then flows along the Iranian-Azerbaijan and the Iranian-Armenian border. The river then flows along the border between Iran and Azerbaijan to meet with the Kura River at the village of Sabirabad. It then directly flows into the Caspian Sea.