US embassy cable - 05YEREVAN85

S E C R E T YEREVAN 000085 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/PRA (CONLON) AND NP/ECNP (PARSON) 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/19/2015 
TAGS: PARM, PREL, AM, IR 
SUBJECT: ARMENIAN MOD TAKES "NO" FOR AN ANSWER 
 
REF: STATE 9755 
 
Classified By: Amb. John Evans for reasons 1.4 (b,d). 
 
1. (S) Summary:  Armenia will comply with a USG request (ref) 
and will refrain from proceeding with a transfer to Iran of 
an anti-air missile system.  End Summary. 
 
2. (S) Ambassador met privately with Armenian Minister of 
Defense Serzh Sargsian January 19 and conveyed points 
contained reftel.  Sargsian said simply "If the answer is no, 
then we won't do it." 
 
3. (S) Sargsian said he would be traveling to Iran in the 
first part of February at the invitation of Hassan Ruhani, 
his counterpart as the Chairman of Iran's National Security 
Council.  Sargsian noted that Ruhani, though a Muslim cleric, 
was "more intelligent and sensible" than some of his 
colleagues, and would be mounting a campaign to become Iran's 
next president.  Sargsian, who some observers expect will run 
for President in 2008, said he last visited Iran two years 
ago. 
EVANS