News - Raisi: Care must be taken that the Caucasus does not become field of competition for extra-regional countries

Iran supports any type of action and platform to open communication routes and infrastructures with the Caucasus region, while respecting the principle of respect for the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, and evaluates it as an effective step in the direction of consolidating peace and securing the interests of its neighbors. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi stated this in a telephone conversation with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, informs the official website of the Iranian leader. In response to the Armenian government's plan to develop road and rail communication routes between the two countries as well as the countries of the region, the Iranian president said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran supports any type of action and platform to open communication routes and infrastructures with the Caucasus region, while respecting the principle of respect for the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, and evaluates it as an effective step in the direction of consolidating peace and securing the interests of its neighbors.” Raisi described the Caucasus as an important region in need of peace and added, “The foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran towards the Caucasus is fixed and care must be taken that the Caucasus region does not become a field of competition for extra-regional countries and that its issues are handled by the countries of the region and without the interference of outsiders.” The Iranian president described and clarified the successful holding of the 3+3 meeting in Tehran as a constructive step to strengthen regional relations and cooperation and normalize the relations of the countries of the region with each other, adding, “Developing neighborly relations and strengthening relations in order to ensure mutual benefits and the interests of the countries of the region are the fundamental policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” In this telephone conversation, the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, while reviewing the latest economic cooperation between the two countries and the latest developments in the region, as well as the actions of the officials of the two countries in line with the implementation of agreements and the promotion of joint cooperation, described the continuation and increase of relations between the high-ranking officials of Iran and Armenia witness to the will of the two countries to comprehensively develop bilateral relations.