Karabakh dispute Archives - Iran News Daily

Armenia: Iran Initiative for Peace in Nagorno-Karabakh Welcomed

reporter 1222 — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 04:53:55 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said his government welcomes any Iranian initiative to help end the heaviest fighting in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh since the 1990s.

In an exclusive interview with Iran Daily, Pashinyan said Iran, as an important country in the region, can play a key role in stopping the conflict between Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

“This role can now be concentrated on ending military operations,” said Pashinyan, adding that Armenia “welcomes any constructive step by Iran to bring peace and tranquility to the region”.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a breakaway region of Azerbaijan mainly inhabited by ethnic Armenians and backed by Armenia. The fighting over the disputed region has left hundreds dead since clashes erupted on September 27.

Since then, dozens of rockets have landed in villages along the Iranian border wounding a number of people and destroying buildings.

Pashinyan expressed regret over stray fire, saying it was not from Armenia.

“I can give assurances that the Armenian side is doing its utmost so that no harm is inflicted on its friendly country Iran.”

The Armenian prime minister also accused Turkey of “transferring terrorist mercenaries” from Syria to Nagorno-Karabakh to fight for Azerbaijan. “This has been internationally proven,” he said.

The premier said there are “many documents” that indicate militants from Syria are fighting for Azerbaijan.

He warned that the presence of such militants poses a “grave threat to the region” and that its consequences will emerge in the future.

Pashinyan called on regional states “to deal with this issue more seriously”.

Ankara has openly voiced support for Baku in the conflict and demanded that the region be returned to Azerbaijan.

Ethnic Armenian separatists seized the Nagorno-Karabakh region from Azerbaijan in a 1990s war that claimed 30,000 lives. The region’s declaration of independence has not been recognized by any country, even Armenia, and it is still part of Azerbaijan under international law.

Pashinyan said Azerbaijan and Turkey held a joint military drill one and a half months before the start of the conflict.

“After the end of the exercise, part of Turkish military forces remained in Azerbaijan,” he said, arguing that the current war has long been planned.

The Armenian leader said that his country is engaged in a “full-fledged war that threatens the entire region”.

Answering a question about the failure of a Russian-brokered truce agreement, he accused Turkey of “trying to constantly to prevent a cease-fire”.

“Turkey has extensive goals… Turkey seeks to secure its presence in the South Caucasus region to revive an empire through which Turkey wants to expand its influence to the east, north, south and southeast of Nagorno-Karabakh,” Pashinyan pointed out.

He warned that such a policy will have a direct impact on all countries.

Pashinyan said Armenia will not accept any “foreign interference or mediation” in the conflict except from the Minsk Group which is comprised of France, Russia and the United States

He took a swipe at the Minsk Group for their inability “to affect developments” in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

“Although they issue statements and adopt stances, they do not have the power to affect developments,” he said.

The premier said Azerbaijan is “extensively using Israeli drones” in its military operations in Nagorno-Karabakh which “proves that foreign powers intervention” in the region through various ways.

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Lukashenko: No Weapons Supplied to Karabakh Parties in 6 Months

reporter 1222 — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 08:58:02 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told his Armenian counterpart, Armen Sarkissian that Belarus has supplied weapons neither to Azerbaijan nor to Armenia in the recent six months, BelTA agency reported on Monday after their telephone conversation.

According to BelTA, the conversation was initiated by the Armenian leader. The two presidents discussed the socio-economic and political situation in Belarus and Armenia. Sarkissian informed the Belarusian leader about the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, TASS reported.

Special attention was drawn by the Armenian president to recent media reports about alleged supplies of military cargoes from Belarus to Azerbaijan. “A clear response was given to this fake information – no supplies of military cargoes have been done either to Azerbaijan or to Armenia in the recent six months,” BelTA said.

Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The area experienced flare-ups of violence in the summer of 2014, in April 2016 and this past July. Azerbaijan and Armenia have imposed martial law and launched mobilization efforts. Both parties to the conflict have reported casualties, among them civilians.

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the highland region of Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory that had been part of Azerbaijan before the Soviet Union break-up, but primarily populated by ethnic Armenians, broke out in February 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.

In 1992-1994, tensions boiled over and exploded into large-scale military action for control over the enclave and seven adjacent territories after Azerbaijan lost control of them. Talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement have been ongoing since 1992 under the OSCE Minsk Group, led by its three co-chairs – Russia, France and the United States.

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Iranian Official Urges Negotiations to Karabakh Dispute

reporter 1222 — Mon, 27 Jul 2020 07:11:24 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian President’s Chief of Staff Mahmoud Vaezi called for a peaceful solution to the dispute in the Karabakh region after an escalation of tensions between Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

In a telephone conversation with foreign policy advisor to the president of the Republic of Azerbaijan Hikmat Hajiyev on Sunday, Vaezi said Iran’s formal stance on the conflicts and disputes is “supporting the territorial integrity and sovereignty” of the nations.

“Tensions in the region would certainly not be in the interest of any country, and we favor stability, development, and progress for all countries, particularly the Republic of Azerbaijan,” he added.

The Iranian president’s chief of staff further stressed the need for the settlement of Karabakh dispute through peaceful solutions and dialogue.

“As a friendly country and neighbor, the Islamic Republic of Iran has always stood by the Republic of Azerbaijan’s government and nation and attaches significance to the promotion of ties with that country,” Vaezi added.

For his part, Hajiyev commended Iran for its clear stances on international conflicts and its respect for the sovereignty of nations, saying, “Iran, as a very important and influential country in the region, has a major role in the settlement of regional problems and disputes.”

He also highlighted Baku’s willingness to boost relations with Tehran in various fields, particularly the economic ties.

Azerbaijan and Armenia, two former Soviet republics, have for decades been locked in a simmering conflict over Karabakh – an Azerbaijani territory seized by Armenian separatists in a bloody war in the 1990s.

Some 30,000 people were killed in the conflict, which ended with a fragile truce in 1994. The two sides are still technically at war and have yet to reach a permanent peace agreement on the issue.

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