Officials Tell Karabakh Conference in Qom:

Relations With Azerbaijan to Be Expanded

Date: 01 March 2021 - 22:00

News ID: ۸۸۱۳۴

TEHRAN (Dispatches) – Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on Monday underlined cooperation with Azerbaijan despite sanctions, saying Tehran will keep working with Baku on the basis of mutual respect.
In remarks at a conference on the Karabakh conflict held in Qom, Araqchi said Iran and Azerbaijan have maintained relations despite the sanctions.
"Azerbaijan has been one of our major neighbors over the past few years, particularly in the time of sanctions, and we will preserve our ties on the basis of mutual respect and interests,” he said.
On the most recent round of clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Araqchi voiced Iran’s opposition to any threat to the territorial integrity of countries.
Pointing to the grounds for the expansion of relations between the two neighbors, the deputy minister said Iran and Azerbaijan have set up various joint projects and enjoy a remarkable volume of cross-border exchange.
Iran and Azerbaijan have accelerated efforts in recent years to forge closer partnership in various areas.
Azeri President Ilham Aliyev has made several official visits to Tehran over the past few years. In 2016, the two sides signed eleven memorandums of understanding and agreements to promote mutual cooperation in a range of fields.
Secretary of Iran’s Expediency Council Mohsen Rezaei told the conference that the Islamic Republic should be part of a committee overseeing ceasefire in the Karabakh region and its reconstruction.
"All of the parties involved and all international observers must know that the demand and resolve of people of the region is that Iran should take part in the Karabakh ceasefire and reconstruction committee and be effectively present in monitoring as well as security and economic cooperation in the new corridors,” Rezaei said, referring to corridors created as part of the ceasefire agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia in November.
He said Iran’s involvement in the ceasefire committee would benefit the entire region.
Highlighting Iran’s unwavering support for Karabakh since the outbreak of the "unfair war” in the region, Rezaei said Iran has never backed the self-proclaimed republic of Artsakh.
Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but is populated only by Armenians since they broke away in the 1990s, sparking a war which forced Azerbaijanis to flee their homes.