Iran seeks stability in Caucasus region
Armen Grigoryan, the secretary of the National Security Council of Armenia, visited Tehran on Sunday and held talks with Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. Strengthening relations with neighbors is the principle policy of Iran, and in this framework, Tehran has been is in contact with Azerbaijan and Armenia, which are embroiled in a dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, to help them resolve their differences over the region.
Prior to the Sunday visit by the Armenian official to Tehran, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian had a phone call with his Azerbaijani counterpart, part of which was related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
On the one hand, Grigoryan’s trip was aimed at strengthening bilateral economic and political relations between Tehran and Yerevan; on the other hand, it was an attempt to settle the dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Tehran seeks to maintain the security and stability of the Caucasus region. If the regional countries respect each other’s territorial integrities, differences between them can be resolved through diplomacy.
The dispute between Baku and Yerevan can be also resolved if both countries respect territorial integrity and do not decide to change the geographical borders of the region.
Iran has always emphasized that strengthening Tehran’s relations with Baku or bolstering ties with Yerevan is in no way against another country and is line with Tehran’s good neighborliness policy.
Therefore, the visit of the Armenian official to Tehran should not be considered as a move against Azerbaijan, which has recently leveled accusations at Iran, but it should be seen as efforts by Tehran to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and strengthen stability and security in the region.
Iran prefers diplomacy and dialogue between Baku and Yerevan on the dispute over the region. Misunderstandings between Baku and Tehran can also be resolved through dialogue. Azerbaijan’s decision to suspend the activities of its embassy in Tehran is not a right move and it would be better for Azerbaijan to resume its activities as soon as possible. Because in the absence of ambassadors, direct contacts and communications will decrease and there would be room for further misunderstanding between the two neighbors and it would also reduce the opportunity for the settlement of differences between the two countries.