RA Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, Zhanna Andreasyan, received a delegation led by Ahmad Donyamali, Minister of Sport and Youth of the Islamic Republic of Iran. ESCS Deputy Minister Krystyna Tatarian, and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Armenia Khalil Shirgholami also attended the meeting.

The parties discussed issues related to advancing relations between Armenia and Iran in sport and youth affairs, highlighting the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Fields of Youth and Sport between the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport and Iran’s Ministry of Sport and Youth as an important step towards achieving this goal.

Welcoming her counterpart, Minister Zhanna Andreasyan emphasized that a number of agreements discussed during her visit to Iran in 2025 are now being put into practice.

“The high-level political dialogue between Armenia and Iran provides a favorable foundation for further expanding cooperation in sport and youth affairs. I am confident that the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding will enable us to advance our joint initiatives in a more systematic and coordinated way,” she noted.

Ahmad Donyamali noted that Iran attaches great significance to multifaceted cooperation with Armenia and presented Iran’s experience and achievements in the field of sport.

It was noted that both Armenia and Iran have significant potential to strengthen cooperation, particularly in football, boxing, weightlifting, and wrestling. The parties highlighted the importance of establishing club teams, organizing joint training camps and coaching courses, and holding reciprocal training camps.

Minister Zhanna Andreasyan also outlined the international sporting competitions scheduled to take place in Armenia in the coming year, including the European Karate U21 Championships and the World Weightlifting Championships.

The parties also discussed opportunities for reciprocal visits by chess professionals, the exchange of expertise, and joint educational initiatives, taking into account Iran’s interest in Armenia’s experience in teaching chess in schools.

The importance of cooperation in youth affairs was also underscored, particularly through dialogue between civil society organizations in the two countries, as well as collaboration and knowledge-sharing among young scholars and researchers.

The meeting concluded with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, which the parties described as an important step towards strengthening the legal and institutional foundations of bilateral cooperation.