Armenia underscored Iran's significant position in the region, and voiced Yerevan's will to broaden bilateral ties with Tehran. At a meeting with Chairman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission in Tehran on Sunday, Head of the Armenia-Iran Parliamentary Friendship Group Galust Sahakyan described Iran as an important country in the region. “Not only do senior Armenian officials regard the Islamic Republic of Iran as a neighboring country, they view it as their friend and ally in regional and international spheres,” pointed out the senior Armenian official, stressing the need for further development of bilateral relations between the two friendly states. Iran has long taken various diplomatic initiatives to expand its ties with the neighboring states. In recent years, Iran and its Northern neighbor Armenia have boosted cooperation, signed agreements on energy cooperation and agreed to cooperate in technology and research and to enhance ties in commerce and economy.