Azernews.Az

By Rashid Shirinov

Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan has called for peaceful settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

He made the remarks during a meeting with Azerbaijani Defense Minister, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov who is on a visit to Tehran, the Iranian Defense Ministry reported on April 16.

Dehghan expressed hope that Azerbaijan and Armenia would not permit the third parties and foreigners to interfere in the conflict which only escalates the tension.

He further said that there is no capacity for a new crisis in the region, which is already plagued with insecurity and terrorism.

Azerbaijan and Armenia for over two decades have been locked in conflict, which emerged over Armenian territorial claims to Azerbaijan. Since the 1990s war, 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 has adopted four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal from the occupied lands of Azerbaijan, but they have not been enforced to this day.

The Iranian minister further stressed the need for closer military cooperation between Iran and Azerbaijan and for efforts to block the third parties seeking to undermine Tehran-Baku ties.

“Intensive meetings between the leaders and senior officials of the two countries indicate that the mutual political, economic and cultural ties are increasing,” Dehghan added.

Heading a high-ranking military delegation, Hasanov arrived in Tehran on April 15 at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart.

Earlier, Hasanov met with Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali Shamkhani, who also expressed his country`s support for Azerbaijan`s territorial integrity.

Azerbaijan and Iran have had fruitful diplomatic relations since 1918. Iran recognized Azerbaijan's independence in 1991, and diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1992.

---

Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz