YEREVAN, APRIL 10, ARTSAKHPRESS. Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali Shamkhani, during his meeting with Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan, reiterated Tehran’s opposition to geographical changes in the Caucasus, according to an Iranian government readout reported by Press TV.
Shamkhani said that tensions and conflicts in the Caucasus region would not serve the interests of any country.
“Any geographical change in the South Caucasus region is a tension-building measure, which will play into the hands of the enemies of regional security and stability,” Press TV quoted Shamkhani as saying at the meeting with his Armenian counterpart.
Iran’s top security official added that continuous dialogue and interaction must replace any “hard approach” to ending regional challenges.
Shamkhani added that the Caucasus region is going through a “sensitive period”, and expressed hope that Armenia and Azerbaijan will be able to overcome the existing tensions through self-restraint and prudence.
He mentioned development of cooperation and interaction with neighbors as an unchanging principle of Iran’s foreign policy and a priority for the incumbent Iranian administration.
“[Maintaining] good-neighborly relations and making a joint endeavor for the settlement of the regional challenges through peaceful means are among the Islamic Republic’s most important pieces of advice to all [regional] parties,” Shamkhani added.
Armen Grigoryan said Iran played an “important role” in the development of relations among South Caucasus countries and also in protecting the regional security.
Grigoryan lauded Iran’s “very effective” role in the realization of regional peace and stability, emphasizing that dialogue and interaction among countries constitute the only way of resolving the existing regional crises and preventing further tension and conflicts, according to Press TV.
According to Iran Front Page, Grigoryan congratulated Tehran on its recent normalization deal with Saudi Arabia.
Grigoryan’s office said in a readout that during the meeting with Shamkhani they discussed the regional security situation and bilateral relations.
