News - Sobhani: Iranian, Russian and Turkish support for Armenia-Azerbaijan agreements will be the best guarantee of peace

All issues of the region must be resolved through dialogue, the territorial integrity of all countries must be preserved, and the rights of the inhabitants of the respective countries must be respected within the framework of the national sovereignty of each country. Iran's ambassador to Armenia, Mehdi Sobhani, stated this in an interview with the Public Television of Armenia—and addressing the matter of Tehran's position regarding the forcible deportation of more than 100,000 Armenians from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) by Azerbaijan. According to the Iranian diplomat, military operations cannot solve regional root problems, the roots of the conflict must be identified to solve these problems, and this can be done through dialogue and peaceful communication. Sobhani recalled that several months ago he met with some of the aforesaid displaced Armenians in Kapan, Armenia to understand why and under what conditions they left their homes in Artsakh. "The message they asked me to convey was that they want necessary conditions to be created in Karabakh to return to their homes. I asked them why they left their homes, they said they had to because they did not feel physically safe," said Sobhani. According to the Iranian ambassador, Armenia and Azerbaijan should talk to each other in order to reach a common understanding on all issues. "This is a package within the framework of which they should be able to reach a mutual understanding that will ensure the establishment of a stable peace. The guarantee of this can be the participation of the countries of the region, a vivid example of which is the holding of a meeting in the 3+3 format in Tehran. When the [other] countries of the region [i.e. Iran, Russia, and Turkey] support the agreements reached between Armenia and Azerbaijan, it can be the biggest guarantee for achieving permanent and stable peace in the region," said Sobhani.