Zarif Urges Peaceful Settlement of Conflicts between Armenia, Azerbaijan
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called for a negotiated solution to the conflicts between Armenia and Azerbaijan, reiterating Tehran’s emphasis on the protection of countries’ territorial integrity and the need for international borderlines to remain unchanged.
During a visit to Yerevan after a trip to Baku, the top Iranian diplomat held a meeting with Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ara Ayvazyan on Wednesday.
Describing the Caucasus as a vital region whose security and calm is important to the national security of Iran, Zarif said the Islamic Republic’s policy on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts since the 1990s has been based on respect for the territorial integrity of states, observing the rights of all regional people, and peaceful settlement of conflicts.
Highlighting Tehran’s efforts in recent months to help resolve the conflict between Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, Zarif called on the warring parties to show self-restraint, respect the territorial integrity of each other, and push for a negotiated solution to differences.
Iran will suffer from any tension in the region and tries to bring the views of Yerevan and Baku closer together, the foreign minister stated, saying the Islamic Republic’s redlines include respect for the international borders, the territorial integrity of countries, and unchanged borderlines.
Zarif also expressed hope for de-escalation of tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
He further pointed to a recent visit by the Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development to Armenia, hoping that implementation of the agreements made in that visit would enhance relations between the two countries.
For his part, Ayvazyan highlighted the importance of regular talks between the Iranian and Armenian authorities, hoping for the expansion of relations between the two neighbors in various fields.
He also noted that the border disputes between Armenia and Azerbaijan run counter to regional stability and calm.
Armenia said on Tuesday that one of its soldiers was killed in a border shootout with Azerbaijani forces, with tensions still high after last September’s war over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Armenia’s Ministry of Defense said the situation was “calm” after a skirmish at the Verin Shorzha border point in Armenia’s eastern Gegharkunik district.
A long-simmering conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh erupted into full-blown war in late September 2020, with some 6,000 people killed in six weeks of fighting.
