Iran After Sustainable Peace in Caucasus: Defense Minister

In a meeting with his Armenian counterpart in Tehran on Wednesday, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani reiterated Iran’s support for comprehensive and sustainable peace in the region, as in the Caucasus.

Expressing Iran’s support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the regional states and its opposition to any change in the internationally-recognized boundaries, Ashtiani said, “We back direct negotiations, sustainable peace, and direct contact between the two neighbors -the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia- and believe that it would prepare the ground for progress and development of the Caucasus region.”

He underlined that the “architecture of regional security” must be shaped by the regional countries alone.

Any quest for security from outside the region will backfire, turn the region into a battlefield between the powers, and disrupt regional security and stability, the Iranian defense minister warned.

“We should not allow the Caucasus region to become a ground for rivalry between the others, otherwise the stability and security of every single country will be jeopardized,” Ashtiani said.

For his part, Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikyan said his country shares views with Iran about the regional stability.

Stressing the need for closer cooperation considering the regional developments, Papikyan said Yerevan agrees with Iran’s stance on the improvement of relations between Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

In a telephone conversation with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan in September 2023, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi assured Armenia of Iran’s opposition to any alteration to the regional boundaries, saying Iran is prepared to play “an effective role” as a “powerful neighbor” to prevent regional clashes or geopolitical changes.