As of last year, Armenia-Iran trade has increased sharply and already amounts to $700 million, Armenian economy minister Gevorg Papoyan stated during the official opening of the Iranian trade center in Yerevan Monday. "We are committed to increasing that number to $1 billion in the near future, and then to $3 billion. I note with confidence that this trade center will play a very important role in the realization of our goals," Papoyan said. He noted that Iran is not just a neighbor of Armenia, but also a friendly country and a friendly people. "There are very close trade, economic, and political relations between our countries. Our peoples know each other very well and have a very warm attitude towards each other. But there is certainly a huge undiscovered potential for developing economic relations. This platform will provide that opportunity for new domains to be discovered and new quality relationships to be built. I would like us to have such a trade center in Iran, particularly in Tehran," the Armenian economy minister stated. Papoyan noted that the Armenian government is interested in the engagement of Iranian companies in production, infrastructure, and some other sectors of the economy in Armenia.