Armenia calls for active communication with Iran during “difficult period for region”

Pashinyan made the remark while speaking in a meeting with Iran’s new ambassador to Yerevan, Mehdi Sobhani, on Monday.

Referring to his “reliable dialogue” with Iranian President Ebrahim Reisi, Pashinyan said it paves the way for the consistent deepening of cooperation between the two countries, his office said in a press release.

He also congratulated Sobhani on his appointment to the new post, expressing hope that relations between the two countries would continue to develop and strengthen during the ambassador’s term of office.

Sobhani, for his part, once again reaffirmed Iran’s unequivocal support for Armenia’s territorial integrity.

He expressed concern over the humanitarian situation in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, saying that the security and rights of Armenians living in that region must be guaranteed.

The Iranian diplomat added that the Islamic Republic is keen to develop relations with Armenia in all fields.

The two sides also discussed a host of common issues, including the implementation of joint plans in such areas as economy, trade, development of infrastructure, healthcare, education, science and culture.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked region in the Caucasus, which lies within Azerbaijan’s borders and is internationally recognized as part of its territory, but is populated mostly by ethnic Armenians.

Armenian authorities, who have been running the region’s affairs without international recognition since the early 1990s, declared on Wednesday that local “self-defense forces” had laid down their arms and disbanded under a Russia-mediated ceasefire following the latest armed clashes with Azeri forces. The truce halted Azerbaijan’s 24-hour offensive against pro-Armenia forces to retake the territory.

Iran has consistently called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to settle their dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region through peaceful ways.