Iranian, Armenian presidents emphasize need for regional peace

TEHRAN, Dec. 23 (MNA) – After a meeting on Friday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan issued a joint statement insisting on the need to accelerate efforts to improve security and peace in the region. In the statement, the Iranian and Armenian presidents also expressed satisfaction at the level of relations between the two countries and said the ties are based on longstanding friendship between the peoples of the countries. The presidents also said the two countries have great potential which should be utilized to increase cooperation in all spheres. They added that Tehran and Yerevan have many affinities which would help strengthen their ties. The issue of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was also addressed in the statement and the necessity of resolving the conflict was emphasized. The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe -- Russia, France, and the U.S. -- are currently mediating in the peace negotiations.