Iran FM Welcomes Cessation of Hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif hailed the ongoing peace-making efforts to end hostilities in the disputed region of Karabakh as a “step toward peace”.
“Iran welcomes cessation of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh as step toward peace. We urge our neighbors Azerbaijan and Armenia to engage in substantive dialogue based on respect for international law and territorial integrity. We appreciate constructive efforts of our Russian neighbors,” Zarif tweeted on Saturday.
Skirmishes have been common for years along the front lines of the Karabakh disputed region, but the most recent fighting is feared could lead to mass civilian casualties.
The two sides were resisting international pressure to start talks to end the latest round of conflagrations, with each side accusing the other of instigating the fighting.
Russia said Friday that Armenia and Azerbaijan had agreed to meet in Moscow for negotiations on ending the fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh, after President Vladimir Putin called for talks.
On Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said a ceasefire agreement in Nagorno-Karabakh starting on 12:00 Moscow time on October 10 has been reached after trilateral consultations in Moscow.
Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of the Republic of Azerbaijan, but it has been under Armenia’s control since the early 1990s. The territory declared independence from Azerbaijan in 1991.
