Iran's Foreign Ministry Nasser Kan'ani says that the path of resolution of the Caucasus' problems runs through the regional countries' capitals, not through seeking recourse to extra-regional forces.

His remarks were made on Tuesday against the backdrop of continued tension between Armenia and its estranged neighbor Azerbaijan over the disputed Karabakh region.

The Islamic Republic has invariably placed emphasis on the need for the neighbors to respect each other's territorial integrity, the official said.

Iran has condemned the occupation of the Azerbaijani territories, and supported a "peaceful resolution" of the dispute between the Caucasus' countries in line with international law, Kan'ani said.

The Islamic Republic, he added, once again announces its readiness to help resolve the outstanding issues between Azerbaijan and Armenia within various formats, including bilateral, trilateral, and also the 3+3 format cooperation mechanism, which features the three South Caucasus' countries of Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan plus Russia, Turkey, and Iran.

The Iranian official also pointed to earlier remarks made by the Azeri President Ilham Aliyev, through which he had expressed dissatisfaction with recent back-to-back meetings between Iranian and Armenian officials, accusing Tehran of showing excessive support for Yerevan.

"Our principled policy is based on good neighborliness and expansion of relations with all neighbors," Kan'ani said, noting that Iran never reinforces its ties with one neighbor to the detriment of another.

He said that it is now almost two years that the Azerbaijan Republic's officials in various political, military and security levels have been in touch with different officials of the Armenia Republic, paving the path towards peace and friendship, which was all supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran, but the reason for their worries about our natural contacts at neighborly level with that country is incomprehensible for us.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman said that the recent wargame along Iran's borders with Armenia and Azerbaijan was a normal and pre-planned move, which had been earlier informed through official channels to the concerned neighbors.

 

 

By MEHR�