Rouhani Warns against Redeployment of Terrorists to Areas near Iran Borders
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned against the deployment of Syria-based foreign terrorists to the areas near Iran’s border for involvement in an ongoing conflict between Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Speaking at a weekly cabinet session on Wednesday, Rouhani said Iran has already fought terrorists in its neighboring countries to keep them away from its borders.
“Over the years, we have fought terrorists and forced them away from our borders, people like martyr Soleimani were on the ground and fought them, to kill terrorists right there and then keep them from getting close to our frontiers,” he said.
“We fought terrorists in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq with the help of their people. It is unacceptable if certain people want to take terrorists from Syria and other places to areas near the Iranian borders under different pretexts, and we have straightforwardly informed officials in both the Azerbaijan Republic and Armenia of our position in that regard,” the president stated, according to the government’s official website.
Rouhani also said every effort should be made to prevent the Azeri-Armenian conflict from growing into a regional war, and warned third parties against fueling the flames of fighting.
The president further added that Iran’s border security must be preserved amid tensions in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
He expressed regret over the ongoing war, calling for an end to the fighting.
Rouhani also underlined the need to respect Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.
In a telephone conversation with his Azeri counterpart on Tuesday, Rouhani called on Baku and Yervean to avoid spreading the armed clashed in the Nagorno-Karabakh region to cities, stressing the need to protect civilians in the war.