The MoU was signed in Yerevan on Thursday by Iranian Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Ahmad Donyamali and Armenian Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan.

The agreement aims to develop bilateral cooperation in sports and youth affairs and create the framework for implementing joint programs between the two neighbors.

Before signing the document, Donyamali highlighted the deep-rooted historical ties between the two nations, saying, “Armenia has a special position in the Islamic Republic of Iran’s neighborhood policy,” and stressing that the existing capacities should be turned into practical cooperation in sports and youth affairs.

He identified cooperation between national and club teams, joint training camps and competitions, exchanges of coaches, referees and experts, specialized workshops, and the use of the two countries’ scientific and educational capacities as key areas of cooperation.

Donyamali also called for expanded cooperation in sports including wrestling, weightlifting, football, boxing, chess and martial arts.

For her part, Andreasyan welcomed the proposals and expressed Armenia’s readiness to organize joint training camps, strengthen ties between educational institutions and develop coaching programs, cooperate in women’s sports, and organize joint youth programs.