Iran president says Caucasus must not turn into battleground for outsiders

The Iranian chief executive made the remarks on Wednesday night during a phone call with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

“The Islamic Republic’s policy toward the Caucasus is fixed,” he said, adding that the region “must not turn into a field of competition between extra-regional countries, and its issues should be resolved by regional countries and away from foreign meddling.”

Commenting on Armenia’s plan to develop road and railway connection routes between the two countries as well as regional states, Raisi stated Iran supports any such plan which he described as an effective step to cement peace and protect the interests of neighboring countries.

The Islamic Republic of Iran supports any measure aimed at opening communication routes and infrastructures in the region while respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries, he said.

The Iranian president, meanwhile, called Tehran’s successful hosting of the 3+3 meeting in October a “constructive step” to strengthen regional cooperation and improve ties between regional countries.

“Developing relations with neighbors and strengthening relations to ensure mutual interests and the interests of regional countries is the fundamental policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Raesi added.

Pashinyan, for his part, said the increased interactions between the top officials of both countries indicates that the two neighbors are determined to expand their bilateral ties in all fields.

The 3+3 format cooperation mechanism features the three South Caucasus countries of Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan plus Russia, Turkey, and Iran.

Addressing the second 3+3 regional platform meeting, dubbed Time for Peace, Cooperation, and Progress in the South Caucasus, in Tehran on October 23, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian expressed support for the format as an effective mechanism to resolve the disputes in the Caucasus without foreign interference.

He also highlighted the need for regional countries to respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Situated in the South Caucasus, the landlocked region of Nagorno-Karabakh has been at the heart of a long-running dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Azerbaijan took full control of the breakaway Karabakh region in September following a 24-hour military operation against pro-Armenian forces.