Iran Urges Negotiated Solution to Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said there is no military approach to settling a conflict between Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, and called for employing political procedures for the sake of sustainable peace in the region.
Speaking at a joint press conference with his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsian in Yerevan on Wednesday, President Rouhani hoped for sustainable peace in Nagorno-Karabakh through political ways and negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, two friends and neighbors of Iran.
“Such sustainable peace (in Nagorno-Karabakh) will be in the interest of all regional countries,” he underscored.
Briefing reporters on the topics discussed in a high-profile meeting held earlier in the day, President Rouhani said plans have been devised to boost trade ties and offer incentives to business people and investors of the two countries.
Iran and Armenia have the potential to set up joint venture projects, particularly in the Aras Free Trade Zone near their common border, and use joint products for both domestic markets and exports, he noted.
For his part, Sargsian touched on the talks about creation of an international transit corridor linking the Persian Gulf to the Black Sea, saying such a route will allow the shipment of Iranian goods to the European market at the minimum transportation cost.
Iran and Armenia signed five documents, including an agreement on using a joint border crossing linking Iran’s Norduz to Armenia’s Meghri, on Wednesday.
President Rouhani is in Armani for a tour of regional countries that will take him later to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.