Iran’s National Security head Ali Shamkhani on Monday reiterated his country’s strong opposition to any geographical changes in the region, a scheme being advanced by Azerbaijan’s leadership. He made the comments during a meeting with his Armenian counterpart Armen Grigoryan, who is visiting Tehran.
“Any geographical change in the South Caucasus region is a tension-building measure, which will play into the hands of the enemies of regional security and stability,” Press TV quoted Shamkhani as saying at his meeting with Grigoryan.
Shamkhani said that tensions and conflicts in the Caucasus region would not serve the interests of any country.
Iran’s top security official said that the the Caucasus region is going through a “sensitive period” and expressed hope that Armenia and Azerbaijan will be able to overcome the existing tensions through self-restraint and prudence. He called for dialogue and diplomacy between the two neighbors.
He mentioned development of cooperation and interaction with neighbors as an unchanging principle of Iran’s foreign policy and a priority for the incumbent Iranian administration.
“[Maintaining] good-neighborly relations and making a collective effort for the settlement of regional challenges through peaceful means are among the Islamic Republic’s most important pieces of advice to all [regional] parties,” Shamkhani added.
In his turn, Grigoryan said Iran plays an “important role” in the development of relations among South Caucasus countries and also in protecting the regional security.
Grigoryan lauded Iran’s “very effective” role in the realization of regional peace and stability, emphasizing that dialogue and interaction among countries constitute the only way of resolving the existing regional crises and preventing further tension and conflicts, according to Press TV.
Grigoryan also congratulated Tehran on its recent normalization deal with Saudi Arabia.
Armenia’s National Security office said in a statement that during the meeting regional security matters and bilateral relations were discussed.
