Ibrahim Raisi urged Pashinyan to resolve issues to comply with international law

Baku/04.01.22/Turan: Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi held a telephone conversation with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on January 3.  The Iranian leader stressed Iran's support for Armenia's territorial integrity, as well as the country's commitment to resolve contentious issues in line with international law. This is reported by the press service of the Armenian government and the Iranian press (tasnimnews).

Maintaining the territorial integrity and sovereignty of countries is Iran's principled policy, Raisi stated. The Iranian President welcomed progress in the talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

"We hope that other problems between Armenia and Azerbaijan will also be resolved peacefully within the framework of international principles and laws, and we will witness peace, stability and security in the region," the Iranian leader noted.

It should be remembered that in October 2021, Raisi warned that Iran will not tolerate "a geopolitical change of the map in the Caucasus. On the southern side of the Araz River Tehran held military exercises of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps which was seen in Baku as an Iran's attempt to threaten Azerbaijan. 

At that time the implementation of the provision fixed in the trilateral statement of November 9-10, 2020 on the opening of transport routes between Azerbaijan and Armenia was discussed.  Then Tehran also stated its "serious concern" over the presence of "terrorists and Zionists in the region. It explained that "Israel had settled on Iran's northwestern border after the US defeat in the region.

Speaking to the public in the Jabrail region, President Ilham Aliyev denied the accusation.

The principal breakthrough in the relations between the two countries came as a result of the Ashgabat meeting between Raisi and Aliyev on November 28, 2021. After the talks, Raisi said: "We will never allow others to interfere in our relations ... We have to solve our issues ourselves, advance our relations, we have to work jointly to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation. Our experience shows that when we discuss our issues ourselves, we are able to solve most of them and overcome obstacles."

After this meeting, real consultations started within the framework of Erdogan's 3+3 initiative (South Caucasus countries, Iran, Russia, Turkey) to establish peace and cooperation in the region.

On December 10 last year, the first meeting of the 3+3 consultative platform at the level of deputy ministers of the countries of the initiative, except for Georgia that has not yet decided on participation, was held in Moscow.-0-