The plane of Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif lands at Yerevan’s Zvartnots Airport. Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Ara Aivazian meets the Minister arriving in Armenia after a regional visit to Baku and immediately accompanies him to the Ministry building. The agenda of Zarif’s visit is broad, the tension on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is at the center of the issues to be discussed.
“Iran has always been in favor of a peaceful solution to regional problems with respect for the territorial integrity of the countries, as well as the rights of peoples. In case of any aggravation, if there are victims due to tension, it worries us. We are concerned, and this issue should be resolved peacefully as soon as possible,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says.
Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ara Aivazian highly appreciated the visit of Foreign Minister Zarif to the region in the current situation, stating that Iran has been and remains a very important partner and neighbor of Armenia.
“Armenia is in favor of resolving this latest tension through political and diplomatic means. We very much appreciate that in these alarming days and circumstances, our centuries-old friend and neighbor Iran’s Foreign Minister and my very good colleague Zarif paid a regional visit, and he arrived in Armenia today. This proves Iran’s unselfish intention to make efforts to strengthen stability and security in the region,” Ara Aivazian, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia.
The meetings of the delegations in a narrow and expanded format, the key topic of which was again the Armenian-Azerbaijani border tension, preceded the briefing of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Iran. According to Aivazian, Azerbaijan is now trying to create new geopolitical realities, which are not in the interests of countries interested in regional stability.
“There is no doubt that this encroachment on the territorial integrity of Armenia is a direct consequence of the inequitable international and regional response to Azerbaijan’s actions against the self-determination of the people of Artsakh since September 27 last year, as well as the threat to regional peace,” Aivazian says.
After the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the two countries, Zarif went to the Government building to meet with the Acting Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan. The main topic of conversation is again Azerbaijan’s encroachments on Armenia’s borders.
DISCUSSIONS WITH IRAN ARE STRATEGIC: PASHINYAN
“The units of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan have illegally crossed the border of Armenia in several parts. Our position is unequivocal that the units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces must leave our territory. We are making political and diplomatic efforts for this, first of all, because our CSTO partners have been urging us to resolve the issue first of all politically, through diplomacy,” says Nikol Pashinyan, Acting Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia.
Pashinyan also informed Zarif about the murder of an Armenian soldier by a shot fired by Azerbaijani servicemen.
“I am sorry that you had a victim due to the aggravation of this new situation. Yesterday I had a very meaningful and detailed conversation with the President of Azerbaijan, I hope that these meetings, as well as the meeting with my colleague, will be able to contribute to resolving this crisis,” Zarif says.
The Iranian Foreign Minister discussed with Ara Aivazian and Nikol Pashinyan a number of issues related to the bilateral agenda of the two countries.
