Azernews.Az

A "minister" of the self-proclaimed Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh republic run by ethnic Armenians in the Azerbaijani region has reportedly claimed an agreement had been signed with Iran on purchasing agricultural machines.
Armo Saturyan, the separatist regime’s "agriculture minister", who is visiting Iran, said the alleged agreement envisions buying 20 combines to upgrade the agriculture sector, Iran’s Mehr news agency reported.
"We have already been supplied with 10 combines. Shortly, we will carry out the purchase of combines and agricultural equipment worth $1 million."
Saturyan also called on Iranian businessmen to invest in Upper Garabagh, claiming there were suitable conditions to do business there.
Speaking to reporters in Arakda, Saturyan said "his country" was in dire need of Iran’s support.
"Since our country is in a state of war and, as a result of war, the agricultural machinery has become unfit, we have a great need for Iran’s support. We have to take advantage of Iran’s agriculture to eliminate the damage inflicted by war," Saturyan said.
Mehr described Upper Garabagh as an Armenian region in its report.
Elkhan Polukhov, the spokesman for the Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry, commented that the ministry had instructed the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran to scrutinize the matter, adding that Baku would take adequate steps depending on the outcome of the scrutiny.
Armenia has been occupying over 20% of Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized territory since the early 1990s. As a result of this aggression, the separatist regime in the occupied Upper Garabagh region proclaimed so-called independence in 1991. The declaration of "independence," which is, itself, a blatant violation of international law, has not been recognized by any country, to date.*