Abbas Araqchi, the Iranian deputy foreign minister for political affairs, said Tehran’s proposals contributed heavily to the establishment of the ceasefire.
“Fortunately, the principles and framework that we introduced for a ceasefire and the start of the talks were welcomed, and the Russia-brokered agreement that was finally reached between Azerbaijan and Armenia two days ago, was, in fact, within the framework of the principles and framework and proposals that Iran had put forward,” he said.
He reiterated that Iran had misgivings over the military conflict going on near its borders.
“The Nagorno-Karabakh crisis unfolding outside Iran’s northern borders had been a cause for serious concern for us,” he said.
“The conflict was a cause for concern, and it caused concerns along our borders. Even in certain cases, the conflict caused damage on our borders. There were some ensuing concerns as well, making it all the more necessary for the conflict to come to an end as soon as possible,” he noted.
The official noted that Iran has had good relations with both Baku and Yerevan.
“We have had age-old, cordial relations with both the Azerbaijan Republic and Armenia. Of course, our relationship has been closer with the Azerbaijan Republic because of our Azeri-speaking fellow countrymen. We have also had good ties with Armenia due to our Armenian compatriots,” he said.
Araqchi highlighted that Iran took it upon itself to help resolve the crisis.
“A war going on in our backyard between two of our neighbouring countries with which we have good relations was definitely an unfortunate event. Of course, that war has its roots in a historical conflict going on between Azerbaijanis and Armenians since old times. It was necessary that Iran play a role in easing or ending the conflict,” he explained.
“We put forward a proposal after holding consultations with all sides. Then I was tasked with introducing and seeking to build a consensus on the proposal during my trip to the region. We also sought to let these countries know about the concerns that the Islamic Republic of Iran had, so that they would know what areas Iran was concerned about,” Aaqchi said.
