Iran's Ahmadinejad Visits Neighbor Armenia

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday arrived in Armenia for talks as the Islamic republic and its small Christian neighbor seek to boost economic links.

Ahmadinejad met his counterpart Serzh Sarkisian and is due to sign several bilateral agreements, the Armenian presidential administration said, amid growing cooperation between Tehran and Yerevan.

One of the agreements will schedule the start of construction work on a hydro-electric power station on the Arax River which runs along the two countries' border, the Armenian energy ministry said.

Suffering from long-term political disputes with two of its other neighbors Turkey and Azerbaijan, which have led to an economic blockade and closed borders, ex-Soviet Armenia has been developing closer ties with Iran.

Trade turnover between Tehran and Yerevan has been increasing, from $206 million (157 million euros) in 2009 to $273 million (209 million euros) last year -- a significant boost for impoverished Armenia's economy.