Iran reportedly has told Russia to “back off” from endorsing Azerbaijan scheme to establish a land corridor that would connect Azerbaijan proper with Nakhichevan through Armenia’s Syunik Province, commonly referred to as the “Zangezur Corridor,” according an article published in the Iranian Tasnim news agency.
The Tansim article said that Iranian officials have advised Russia “to avoid taking measures that may impair the strategic relations between Moscow and Tehran, because the idea of the Zangezur corridor will create a new flashpoint near the very delicate boundaries of northwestern Iran.”
The article, in the semi-official Tansim news agency, comes days after Russia’s Ambassador to Iran was summoned to address recent statements by Russian Foreign Sergey Lavrov, who accused Armenia of “sabotaging” the opening of a corridor based on the November 9, 2020 agreement.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that the head of its Eurasia Directorate, Mojtaba Demirchiloo, discussed with the Russian ambassador in Tehran, Alexei Dedov, “his views on the ongoing developments in the Caucasus.”
A ministry statement cited Demirchiloo as telling Dedov that “Tehran is against any change in the internationally recognized borders and geopolitical changes in the region.”
“The Iranian diplomat also stressed the need to take into consideration the legitimate concerns and interests of all countries in the region,” added the statement.
In a late August interview broadcast on Azerbaijani television, Lavrov lashed out at Armenia, alleging that Yerevan is reneging on an agreement signed in 2020 concerning the Zangezur corridor. “It is the Armenian leadership that is sabotaging an agreement signed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. It is difficult to understand the meaning of such a position,” he said.
Official Tehran for years has maintained and emphasized its opposition to the “corridor” scheme, advanced by Baku and endorsed by Ankara and Moscow.
“According to informed sources, Iran’s ambassador to Moscow has recently voiced Tehran’s protest against the Russian Foreign Ministry’s stance on the Zangezur corridor,” reported Tasnim, which is believed to be affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard.
“In Iran, experts have advised Russia to bear in mind that Tehran is opposed to the creation of any corridor whatsoever that would connect Azerbaijan to Nakhichevan through Armenia, saying Russians should not be surprised to hear about Iran’s legitimate, clear and unchanging views on this issue,” the article added.
“Regional peace, security and stability is not merely a preference, but a pillar of our national security,” Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on a social media post on Thursday
“Any threat from North, South, East, or West to territorial integrity of our neighbors or redrawing of boundaries is totally unacceptable and a red line for Iran,” Araqchi added.
“Iran is sensitive about the South Caucasus developments and will never tolerate any change in the borders and its security margins,” Tansim wrote.
“Iran maintains that no rule would give priority to the security and geopolitical position of a single country in the South Caucasus region over the others. Therefore, Moscow should never expect to resort to the idea of the Zangezur corridor in order to settle disputes with Armenia,” the article said.
