Iran President welcomes peace treaty between Armenia, Azerbaijan

In a telephone conversation with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Sunday, Pezeshkian congratulated the two neighboring countries and nations on the important event.

“Iran has always welcomed the establishment of peace, convergence and stability in the region, especially among the neighbors, while preserving the territorial integrity of countries,” he said.

Armenia and Azerbaijan on Thursday agreed on the text of a peace agreement to end nearly four decades of conflict between the South Caucasus countries, with Yerevan agreeing to surrender its claim to Karabakh.

The long-disputed region of Karabakh was at the center of two costly wars between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2020 and the 1990s.

The region has always been internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, whose troops retook it in a 24-hour offensive.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Friday hailed the announcement as “a necessary and important step” to achieve “lasting” peace in the South Caucasus region.

During the phone conversation, Pezeshkian pointed to good and progressing relations between Iran and Armenia and called on the two countries’ high-ranking officials to expedite the implementation of bilateral agreements in various fields.

Pashinyan, for his part, informed Pezeshkian on the finalized draft text of the “Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and Interstate Relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan” and the completion of negotiations on the agreement and hailed Iran’s support for the treaty.

The Armenian prime minister said his country would strive to continue negotiations and consultations aimed at implementing the agreement and also to organize regional relations.

He expressed hope that the two countries would sign and implement the deal in the near future.

Pashinyan also commended the efforts by the Iranian government to improve mutual relations and noted that his country is keen to implement the agreements signed with Iran.