Iran calls for liberation of Azerbaijani territories
By Sara Rajabova
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a problem of not only Azerbaijan, but also Iran, governor of the Iranian province of West Azerbaijan, Ghorbanali Saadat said speaking to Azerbaijani reporters in Iran, Trend Agency reported.
Saadat said Iran does not support the aggressive regime and wants the Nagorno-Karabakh to be liberated from the Armenian occupation.
“We are concerned about the current situation. Azerbaijan and Armenia should resolve the problem. Unfortunately, this process is being delayed,” Saadat said.
He further noted that the Iranian government stands ready to provide every support in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. “The peoples in the neighboring countries should maintain friendly relations,” Saadat added.
He also said that the Jews, Kurds, Armenians and Assyrians live side by side on the territory of the Iranian province of West Azerbaijan. “These peoples live side by side without any particular problems,” Saadat said.
Tehran has repeatedly offered to mediate between Armenia and Azerbaijan to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Earlier, Iranian Ambassador to Baku Mohsen Pak Ayeen said the peaceful solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is one of the main goals of Iran's foreign policy.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 after Armenia's territorial claims against Azerbaijan.
For over two decades, Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in the conflict, which impedes the development of the region, as Armenia continues its policy of aggression.
Since a lengthy war in the early 1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions. The UN Security Council's four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal have not been enforced to this day.
Peace talks, mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. through the OSCE Minsk Group, are underway on the basis of a peace outline proposed by the Minsk Group co-chairs and dubbed the Madrid Principles. The negotiations have been largely fruitless so far.