Iranian, Armenian Fms Discuss Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Deal

(MENAFN- IANS) Tehran, Aug 12 (IANS) Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and his Armenian counterpart, Ararat Mirzoyan, have exchanged views on a recent peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan, according to a statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

In a phone call on Monday, the two sides discussed bilateral relations as well as the latest developments in the South Caucasus region, said the statement.

Araghchi welcomed the peace agreement signed between Iran's northern neighbours, Azerbaijan and Armenia, in Washington on Friday, pointing out some of Iran's considerations about the transport routes and the unblocking of transit networks in the region, Xinhua News Agency reported.

He pointed to a deal included in the peace agreement that grants the United States exclusive rights to create and develop a major transit corridor across southern Armenia, which would directly link Azerbaijan to its exclave of Nakhchivan and later Turkey, stressing that the corridor must not lead to any geopolitical change in the region or disrupt Iran's access to other transit routes.

Araghchi emphasised that in any decision, countries' national sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected, adding among the necessities of any agreement was observing issues pertaining to the stability and security of the region and the surrounding countries.

The Armenian foreign minister, for his part, said his country viewed Iran as its friend and neighbour, adding Yerevan had prioritised maintaining friendly relations with Tehran, "which are based on the principle of good neighbourliness," and the two sides' mutual interests.

Mirzoyan briefed the Iranian foreign minister on the peace deal, agreements on the unblocking of the regional transport routes as well as future steps involved in the implementation of those agreements, giving the assurance that Armenia would pay attention to regional peace and stability as well as the common interests in making any decision about the transport routes.

Armenia and Azerbaijan, at loggerheads over the mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh region since 1988, have been holding peace talks since 1994, when a ceasefire was agreed on, despite sporadic clashes since then.

On Friday, the leaders of the two countries witnessed the initialing of a peace agreement at the White House, ending their decades-long border conflict, with further steps to be taken to eventually sign and ratify the agreement.

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