Iran is prepared to mediate between Armenia and Azerbaijan to help resolve a long-running dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh with full respect for the territorial integrity of the two states, says Tehran’s former diplomat in Baku.
“If both parties are interested, Iran is ready to intervene with goodwill and respect for the territorial integrity of the two neighboring countries and help settle the issue in a way that would serve their national interests,” Mohsen Pak-Ayeen also told ISNA in a recent interview.
Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous part of Azerbaijan, is run by ethnic Armenians who declared independence from Baku during a conflict that broke out as the Soviet Union crumbled in 1991, Reuters reported.
Though a ceasefire was agreed in 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia still accuse each other of conducting attacks around Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Azeri-Armenian border.
The former ambassador believes that the time is ripe for the resolution of this case, as Armenia’s new prime minister has expressed willingness to help bring this chapter to a close.
Nikol Pashinyan has said that he is ready for more talks with Azerbaijan, but also wants the separatists to take part.
Serzh Sargsyan, the former Armenian president, had also sought the participation of separatists in negotiations, but Azerbaijan opposed it.
The conflict has worried western and regional countries in part because it could cause instability in the South Caucasus, which serves as a corridor for pipelines transporting oil and gas to world markets.
Ineffective Steps
Pak-Ayeen said the steps taken so far to end the dispute have been “ineffective”, stressing that “the solution should be sought inside the region”.
The issue of Nagorno-Karabakh once again came to the fore in Iranian political circles after banners bearing statements in the Armenian language about the old row were seen at a sports club in Tehran during Pashinyan’s meeting with the Armenian community as part of his trip to the Iranian capital in February.
The Foreign Ministry said it did not approve of the move and called it “unacceptable”. Iran says skirmishes between the majority Christian Armenia and mainly Muslim Azerbaijan should be resolved based on the principles of international law and territorial integrity.
In early March, Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov made a visit to Iran, which Pak-Ayeen says underlined the two countries’ desire to have “strategic” ties.
Tehran-Baku Ties
Azerbaijan is one of Iran’s most important neighbors and has a special place in the country’s foreign policy in light of Iran’s policy to expand relations with neighboring states, the former diplomat said.
Pak-Ayeen added that relations are developing and "there is a bright future ahead”.
"There is great potential for further cooperation between Tehran and Baku in political and economic fields. Concrete measures should be taken to remove obstacles in the path of bilateral trade and investment," he said, adding that trading in national currencies can help strengthen economic links.
He also noted that Iran and Azerbaijan can join hands in the fight against “terrorism, illegal drugs and human trafficking”.
