Bolton Emphasizes Efforts for 'Maximum Economic Pressure' on Iran During Visit to Yerevan

John Bolton, the U.S. National Security Advisor, who traveled to Armenia, stated in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Yerevan on Thursday that the issue of facilitating border trade between Armenia and Iran will remain problematic until Iran's policies change. Bolton, who visited Yerevan, reported that he discussed various topics, including the Nagorno-Karabakh issue and matters related to Russia, Iran, Turkey, and Georgia, during his meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The U.S. National Security Advisor said that as Armenia's political space opens up to the world, American investment in the country will also increase, emphasizing that he sees a positive outlook for American investment, especially from the private sector, in Armenia. In this interview, Harry Tamrazian, head of the Armenian section of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, asked Bolton what options remain for Armenia given the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute that has kept the borders of Azerbaijan and Turkey closed to Armenia, U.S. sanctions against Russia, and the fact that 'Iran, our largest neighbor, is under U.S. sanctions.' Bolton responded, 'The Iranian border will be an important issue because, as I told the Prime Minister [of Armenia], we want to apply maximum economic pressure on Iran since it has not stopped its efforts to obtain nuclear weapons, remains the largest supporter of terrorism in the world, and we are concerned about Iran's ballistic missile program and its military activities in Syria, Iraq, and elsewhere.' He added, 'It is clear that we do not want to harm our friends in this process. Therefore, I think conversations between the Armenian government and the United States will be very important in this regard. But as I emphasized in my conversation with the Prime Minister, we will implement sanctions with full force. We are not the Obama administration. We are putting pressure on Iran because we believe their behavior in the Middle East and around the world is malign and needs to change.' The U.S. National Security Advisor further emphasized that to address the issues mentioned in Armenia, it is better to focus on finding a way to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. He said, 'Because when that issue is resolved, the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan will open. The Turkish border will also likely open; and I think the border with Georgia will pose less concern regarding the pressure the Russians are putting on it.' Iran shares a short border with Armenia, which passes through the Norduz-Megri border gate, and the two countries signed a cooperation document for the joint use of this border two years ago. This cooperation document and trade agreements between the two countries were signed during the presidency of Serge Sargsyan, a former Armenian president who was close to Russia. Since May of this year, following widespread protests in Armenia, Serge Sargsyan resigned, and Nikol Pashinyan, the opposition leader, was elected as the new Prime Minister by parliament. After being elected as Prime Minister, Pashinyan announced that relations with Russia, especially military cooperation with this country, remain a priority for Armenia, but at the same time promised to free the country from the oligarchic system and return Armenia to normal conditions. In his interview on Thursday with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Bolton also referred to the issue of arms sales, stating, 'Due to the ongoing dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia, we face restrictions from Congress regarding arms sales. However, there are exceptions, and I told this to the Prime Minister of Armenia. If the issue is about buying weapons from Russia or from America, our preference is the latter. In any case, we believe our weapons are better than Russia's.'