Rouhani: Iran ready to help resolve Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict

Tehran, October 6, IRNA - Iran's President Hassan Rouhani in a telephone conversation with his Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev said that Tehran is ready to take any measure to help bring to a halt the ongoing clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia and resolve the dispute between Baku and Yerevan as per international law and the recognized borders between the two countries. President Rouhani said that the Iranians have very close historical, cultural, and religious commonalities with their Azeri brothers and the two countries' governments have always had very close relations with each other, also Iran's authorities have taken clear and explicit positions regarding the recent conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Expressing concern over possible interference by other countries in the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict and turning the conflict into a regional war, he stressed that the security, stability, and tranquility of the region, especially the northern borders of Iran, are very important to us, and this conflict, as well as border insecurity continuation, should not pave the way for the infiltration of some terrorist groups. The Iranian president also voiced his concern about the border skirmishes between the two countries, and said, "I hope that this war and conflict will not lead to the war of the cities, along with the displacement of people and the killing of civilians, which is very painful and dangerous." Referring to the need for an end to the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan as soon as possible, he added that, "Iran is ready for any action to resolve the Baku-Yerevan disputes based on international law and recognized borders between the two countries." President Rouhani also emphasized the security of Iran's borders with Azerbaijan and Armenia while calling for saving the lives of the residents of Iranian villages adjacent to these countries. ** We will not allow this conflict to cause insecurity in neighboring countries Referring to Iran's concern about the security of its borders and the possibility of the terrorist groups infiltrating the region if the region is insecure, President Aliyev said that "Azerbaijan considers Iran's security as its own security and we will not allow this conflict to cause insecurity in neighboring countries." He described the relations with Iran as a strategic position for Azerbaijan, adding that the bilateral relations have been constantly expanding in the recent years between the two countries and Baku welcomes the development of these ties. The Azeri president considered the fight against terrorism in the region as one of the fields of Tehran-Baku cooperation, adding that maintaining peace, stability, and tranquility in the region is essential and "we should all strive to achieve it".