Tehran backs Armenian territorial integrity, sovereignty: Iran envoy

Tehran Times ^ | August 26th, 2023

[Cronos]

“Our fundamental policy is to develop relations with the Republic of Armenia. Iran always defends the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Armenia. The two countries have never had any problems in any field or level, especially since Armenia regained its independence,” said Mehdi Sobhani while visiting an economic exhibition in Yerevan.

Tensions have been rising between Armenia and its neighbor, the Republic of Azerbaijan as Baku has set up a checkpoint on the only land route connecting Armenia to the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Baku is seeking to create a corridor in the region to gain unimpeded access to Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic without Armenian checkpoints via Armenia's Syunik Province. If implemented, the corridor would violate the 2020 ceasefire deal between Baku and Yerevan and also change the borders of Iran and Armenia.

The ambassador also pointed to trade deals between Iran and Armenia, saying, “As for economic interactions, our annual trade is $700 million, but the two nations have set themselves the goal of increasing it to up to $3 billion”.

The diplomat had previously called Armenia the gateway for Iran to enter a lucrative market of a 200-million population due to its membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

He had called on Iranian producers to take advantage of opportunities created for them and try not to miss the boat.

Iran is a security threat to Azerbaijan. If a war was to break out between Azerbaijan and Iran, the West would be dragged in as Azerbaijan has a strategic and security partnership with Turkey, which is a NATO member. Turkey would not be passive if Iran launched a war of aggression against Azerbaijan.

Iran has trained and provided finance and intelligence support to Islamic terrorist groups in Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani Board of Muslims issued a statement condemning Tehran’s support for Armenia that was encouraging it to not sign a peace treaty brokered by the EU. Anti-Iranian sentiment remains strong in Azerbaijan because of Tehran’s direct and indirect support for Armenia’s occupation of twenty per cent of its territory for nearly three decades. Azerbaijan’s AzTV accused Iran of “doing its best” to prevent Armenia from signing a peace deal with Azerbaijan. Iran’s preference is to have the peace process continue under Russian control and, as with the last three decades, go nowhere.

At the same time, the Board of the Caucasus Muslims said that “If the Iranian state promises weapons and military aid to the party which is threatening its Muslim brother and whose hands are stained with Muslim blood, and equates the security of Armenia with the security of Iran, this is a practical step to promote revanchism and to encourage Armenia to fight a new war, and a direct threat to the state interests of Azerbaijan and our people.”

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iran’s foreign minister, said his country believes that “respecting the territorial integrity of countries as a principle in the Caucasus region should be given serious attention.” Iran’s claim of upholding “territorial integrity” is not compliant with international law. Iran supported Armenia’s territorial revanchism towards Azerbaijan and supports, through the supply of drones and missiles, revanchism against Ukraine.

[Cronos]

Bilateral relations exist between Armenia and Iran. Despite religious and ideological differences, relations between the two states remain extensively cordial and both are strategic partners in the region. Armenia and Iran are both neighbouring countries in Western Asia and likewise share a common land border that is 44 kilometres (27 mi) in length.

The two nations share their history and culture to a large extent due to their directly interactive relationship going back for thousands of years, starting with the ancient Median Empire. The territory of the modern-day state of Armenia was a part of Qajar Iran until 1828, when it was forcefully ceded to the neighbouring Russian Empire as a consequence of Iran's defeat in the Russo-Persian War of 1826–1828 and the resulting Treaty of Turkmenchay

[DIRTYSECRET]

Are we in agreement? They did get screwed by the Turks.