Iran Eyes Stronger Regional Cooperation As Azerbaijan Reclaims Karabakh

In a meeting with the special representative of the Republic of Azerbaijan’s president, held in Tehran on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian reaffirmed Tehran’s determination to broaden relations with Baku in all fields.

He also called for plans to strike a balance between various aspects of bilateral relations in a new prospect for interaction.

Pointing to the Republic of Azerbaijan’s reclamation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Amirabdollahian stressed the need to open a new chapter in regional cooperation to establish peace and economic development in the Caucasus.

“We believe that the language of peace and security must replace the language of tension and clashes in that region (Nagorno-Karabakh) from now on,” the foreign minister stated.

For his part, Khalaf Khalafov hailed the recent positive developments in the relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and Iran.

The Azeri representative described the prospect of ties between Baku and Tehran as promising, stressing the need for the promotion of bilateral relations in all areas.

He also gave an assurance that the Republic of Azerbaijan will uphold the rights of the Armenian people and civilians in the Nagorno-Karabakh region and guarantee their freedom.

The separatist government of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, backed by Armenia, said last week it would dissolve itself by the end of 2023 after a three-decade bid for independence.

The decision triggered a massive exodus by the ethnic Armenians.

The region and sizable surrounding territories came under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by the Armenian military at the end of a separatist war in 1994. However, the Azerbaijan Republic regained the territories and parts of Nagorno-Karabakh itself after six weeks of fighting in 2020. The area is recognized internationally as part of Azerbaijan.