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IRAN'S BAKU ENVOY URGES REGIONAL EFFORTS TO HELP SOLVE NAGORNO-KARABAKH DISPUTE
Press TV, Iran
July 19 2013
The Iranian ambassador to Baku has called on regional countries to
join efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh
dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
We believe that peace and security will not take hold in the region
without the settlement of the dispute, Mohsen Pak-Ayeen said on
Thursday.
"The world's peace-loving countries, particularly those in the region,
should try to contribute to the peaceful settlement of the issue. The
Islamic Republic of Iran has also announced its readiness in that
regard," he added.
Pak-Ayeen said Iran's policy is to support any negotiations between
the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia to help find effective solutions
to the dispute, adding that Tehran backs the idea of a meeting between
Armenian and Azeri presidents to reach "tangible results."
Both Azerbaijan and Armenia claim the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh,
which is largely populated by Armenians but located in and accounts
for 16 percent of Azerbaijan.
Ethnic Armenian forces took control over the enclave in early 1990s
during a six-year war with Azerbaijan (February 1988 to May 1994).
The conflict left an estimated 30,000 people dead and one million
others displaced before the two sides agreed to a cease-fire. However,
a peace accord has never been signed and the dispute still remains
unsettled.
The Iranian envoy added that Azerbaijan was well aware of Iran's
goodwill to help settle the conflict. He also hailed the positive
approach by Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov's to embrace
proposals by other countries for resolving the issue.
On Wednesday, the Azeri foreign minister said that Baku welcomes
proposals from any country to help settle the dispute.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has on several occasions offered to
mediate in the dispute.
Mammadyarov also expressed his country's dissatisfaction with the
activities of the co-chairs of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, saying Azerbaijan saw no
improvement in the process of the settlement.
The OSCE Minsk Group was created in 1992 by the Conference on Security
and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) to help find a solution to the
Nagorno-Karabakh dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The Minsk Group is headed by a co-chairmanship consisting of France,
Russia and the United States, but it also includes participating
states of Belarus, Germany, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, Sweden,
Finland, and Turkey as well as Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Pak-Ayeen said Tehran supports any group that can take positive
steps toward settling the row, but criticized the co-chairs of the
Minsk Group for failing to adopt effective measures to help resolve
the dispute.
AR/NN/HMV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/07/19/314530/iran-urges-regional-help-on-karabakh/
Press TV, Iran
July 19 2013
The Iranian ambassador to Baku has called on regional countries to
join efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh
dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
We believe that peace and security will not take hold in the region
without the settlement of the dispute, Mohsen Pak-Ayeen said on
Thursday.
"The world's peace-loving countries, particularly those in the region,
should try to contribute to the peaceful settlement of the issue. The
Islamic Republic of Iran has also announced its readiness in that
regard," he added.
Pak-Ayeen said Iran's policy is to support any negotiations between
the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia to help find effective solutions
to the dispute, adding that Tehran backs the idea of a meeting between
Armenian and Azeri presidents to reach "tangible results."
Both Azerbaijan and Armenia claim the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh,
which is largely populated by Armenians but located in and accounts
for 16 percent of Azerbaijan.
Ethnic Armenian forces took control over the enclave in early 1990s
during a six-year war with Azerbaijan (February 1988 to May 1994).
The conflict left an estimated 30,000 people dead and one million
others displaced before the two sides agreed to a cease-fire. However,
a peace accord has never been signed and the dispute still remains
unsettled.
The Iranian envoy added that Azerbaijan was well aware of Iran's
goodwill to help settle the conflict. He also hailed the positive
approach by Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov's to embrace
proposals by other countries for resolving the issue.
On Wednesday, the Azeri foreign minister said that Baku welcomes
proposals from any country to help settle the dispute.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has on several occasions offered to
mediate in the dispute.
Mammadyarov also expressed his country's dissatisfaction with the
activities of the co-chairs of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, saying Azerbaijan saw no
improvement in the process of the settlement.
The OSCE Minsk Group was created in 1992 by the Conference on Security
and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) to help find a solution to the
Nagorno-Karabakh dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The Minsk Group is headed by a co-chairmanship consisting of France,
Russia and the United States, but it also includes participating
states of Belarus, Germany, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, Sweden,
Finland, and Turkey as well as Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Pak-Ayeen said Tehran supports any group that can take positive
steps toward settling the row, but criticized the co-chairs of the
Minsk Group for failing to adopt effective measures to help resolve
the dispute.
AR/NN/HMV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/07/19/314530/iran-urges-regional-help-on-karabakh/