Iranian Envoy: Karabakh Clashes Undermine Regional Security


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian ambassador to Baku warned that the clashes between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops near the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region would bring about insecurity in the region.

The ongoing border clashes between the two neighboring countries “are not in favor of security of the region,” Mohsen Pakayeen stated, calling on Azerbaijan and Armenia to resolve the protracted conflict through dialogue.

He also asked regional countries to help resolve the dispute, saying that Iran is ready to mediate between Baku and Yerevan.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran wants a peaceful solution to Nagorno-Karabakh dispute,” he said.

The remarks came after reports saying that at least 15 people were killed in skirmishes between Azeri government forces and ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh enclave in a flare-up of violence over the last few days.

The two former Soviet republics have been locked in a long-simmering conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenian-backed separatists seized Nagorno Karabakh from Azerbaijan in a 1990s war that claimed 30,000 lives.