Iran has plan to end Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict: Spox

Tehran, Oct 5, IRNA – Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Monday that Iran has a plan to bring the conflict in Karabakh to an end and ease security concerns on its borders. The spokesman made the remarks while speaking to reporters during his weekly press conference. Noting that there is no military solution to this old dispute, Khatibzadeh said that Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his counterpart Sergei Lavrov have discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh issue over phone. He said that Iran is closely monitoring the developments on its Western borders and is in close contact with all the belligerent parties. The spokesman reiterated the significance of respect for Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and stressed the need for the withdrawal of forces from the occupied lands. Khatibzadeh called for an immediate end to the conflicts to pave the way for political dialogue, urging both sides to refrain from endangering the lives of civilian people. Warning that Iran will not tolerate any conflict along its borders, the spokesman said that Iran has called on both sides to take the necessary precautionary steps the hostility not to get out of control causing more deaths and the humanitarian crisis. The spokesman further commented on the claims made by the German foreign minister about the extension of arms sanctions against Iran and said "it is for Europe to decide about the extension of arms restrictions on Iran but the point is that Germany as well as other European countries should be aware that based on the Charter, the JCPOA and resolution 2231 they are committed to not take any moves hindering removal of arms embargo so any kind of actions they take to this effect will run against their JCPOA and Resolution 2231 commitments. He said Iran has just made use of its legal rights and nobody could stop this. He noted that Iran has repeatedly made it clear that Europe has already proven itself incapable of fulfilling its definite commitments since the US exit from the JCPOA. Khatibzadeh said "this is no secret to anybody. They even could not keep the trivial minimum of their commitments which came in the form of INSTEX save a very limited amount of transactions." He advised the EU troika involved in the JCPOA issue to take notice of the fact that the history will judge practices of the two parties, whether or not honoring commitments. Responding to a question about the latest remarks by the Saudi foreign minister about Iran's alleged violation of the JCPOA commitments, Khatibzadeh said, "Saudi Arabia and the Zionist regime maybe the last countries to have a right to discuss such issues as they both were vehemently against the settlement of Iran's nuclear issue from very beginning and never even tried to conceal their negative attitudes. So the remark sounds too ridiculous to discuss." As for the necessity of safeguarding political stability in Iraq and full respect for status of senior Shia religious leader in Iraq, he described as "one of the basics of Iran's policies". He said ties between the two countries were multi-faceted and longstanding which could not be easily tarnished. He also referred to cancellation of Iran-Turkey flights and said the specific COVID19 conditions made tourist visas quite difficult except for Iranians who are residents of Turkey or the university students with proper visas have no problem. On Doha negotiations in the context of Afghanistan peace talks, he described it as a historical scandal for the US because it once decided to attack Afghanistan, occupied parts of the country, killed many people, pushed a huge number of women and children out of their homes and targeted civilians in their residential houses in the name of confronting Taliban but now, 19 years later, boasts of having negotiations with this very group. He said that both now and then, the US was making a mistake because it is following a policy of bullying not usable so long ago. He said that Zelmei Khalilzad never represented the Afghanistan nation so the peace talks should be staged in presence of Afghan Government, Afghan groups regardless of their ethnicity and religion within the framework of the country's Constitution while taking into account all the achievements made so far in such fields of rights of women, ethnicities and minorities. Asked to comment on the remarks made by the Russian ambassador in Iran about the possibility of purchasing S400 missiles, the foreign ministry spokesperson said that all through the past four decades when Iran faced restrictions due to the US arms embargoes, it could not only meet its own needs in defense areas but even turn into an exporting country thanks to the efforts made by Iranian youth and scientists. So, Iran will act only according to its own needs and will take measures based on its needs and rights once the arms restrictions no longer exist. On the US election campaigns, Khatibzadeh said the only thing important for Iran is the JCPOA and the resolution 2231 because it does not matter for Tehran what party rules the country which has left the nuclear deal and is pursuing a maximum pressure policy against the Iranian nation. Regardless of what administration comes to power in the country, he stated, the US should acknowledge its mistakes, stop this economic war against Iran, go back to its commitments and pay reparations for the losses it inflicted on Iran by the unlawful sanctions. Khatibzadeh dismissed the UAE claims over the three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf and renounced its cooperation with the Zionist regime laying building oil pipelines in the Persian Gulf. He said it is Iran's basic policy to continue to correct the improper regional policies of some neighboring countries despite their wrongdoings. The Islamic Republic of Iran never asks anyone about its policies and actions in the three Iranian islands and also about what it is doing within its borders and territory, he added. The three islands in the Persian Gulf definitely and absolutely belong to Iran. So, such remarks neither create any kind of rights for any one nor affects Iran policies, he stressed. Regarding the claims by the Zionist regime's war minister who said that an integrated front will be formed against Iran given the recent agreements with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Khatibzadeh said, "They should be concerned about their own borders. The occupying regime of al-Quds is submerging in identity, social, political, and economic crisis and such remarks are not worth responding and anyone who hangs out from this unstable house in the region has made itself infamous. The occupying regime has got its response in the Occupied Territories and it will get the same response again." Asked about Russia's proposed plan for the Persian Gulf, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said that we have not only maintained the security of Iran, but also the security of the Persian Gulf and other countries. "The proposal by Russia is not new and it has recently been restructured and it is one of the closest ones to that of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he added. Khatibzadeh went on to say that any plan which will be all-inclusive, comprehensive and meeting the primary principles Iran will support that, but Iran's plan known as 'Hope Plan' is the most comprehensive plan and "we will continue this path and welcome anyone who wants to join us". Commenting on the problems faced by the Iranian university students in Germany, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said that the Iranian embassies in other countries are seriously pursuing the case. He pointed out that Schengen Area has specific regulations and the holders of tourist and temporary visas are still barred from entering the area and the people should have residence visas, and said, "We are still negotiating and what is important for Iran is that its citizens could be present there." The Schengen Area is an area comprising 26 European countries that have officially abolished all passports and all other types of border control at their mutual borders. Asked about the inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the second site and Iran-IAEA relations, Khatibzadeh said that Iran-IAEA relations are technical and vocational and any time that the IAEA has been away from the pressures by the third parties such cooperation has taken place in a well manner. He underscored that the IAEA has pledged to take distance from the political pressures and Iran has also allowed IAEA's access to the two sites with good will.