Fighting No Solution to Nagorno-Karabakh Dispute: Iranian Spokesman


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – From the viewpoint of Iran, the military clashes between the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia would not settle the decades-old conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

Speaking at a weekly press conference on Monday, Saeed Khatibzadeh called for an end to the armed clashes between neighbors Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Tehran believes that military action is not a sustainable solution to the decades-old disputes, he added.

“The situation in the region cannot tolerate violence anymore, and we have immediately told our friends in Azerbaijan and Armenia that the conflict should end as soon as possible,” the spokesman noted.

Iran is after an immediate ceasefire between Baku and Yerevan, cessation of hostilities, and launch of negotiations, Khatibzadeh added.

The military forces of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan have started a new round of clashes over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, as international calls for calm after the heaviest fighting between the two countries in years grew.

The Armenian defense ministry on Monday morning reported fighting throughout the night, while Azerbaijan’s defense ministry said Armenian forces were shelling the town of Terter.

The clashes between the two former Soviet republics, which fought a war in the 1990s, were the latest flare-up of a long-running conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway region that is inside Azerbaijan but is run by ethnic Armenians.