Iran, Armenia defense chiefs urge lasting peace in region

Defense ministers of Iran and Armenia have stressed the importance of promoting sustainable peace, stability and security in the region.

“It is not acceptable to resort to force to solve regional problems and the Islamic Republic of Iran will spare no effort to solve these problems,” Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan said in a meeting with his visiting Armenian counterpart, Vigen Sargsyan, in Tehran on Tuesday.

He added that regional issues must be solved only through dialog and peaceful approaches.

“A continuous and firm campaign against terrorism and elements generating insecurity and instability in the region is one of the principled policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Dehqan said.

He emphasized that Iran has always put emphasis on the principle of good neighborliness and paid a heavy price for the establishment of peace, stability and lasting security in the region.

The Iranian defense chief further stated that Tehran and Yerevan have been strengthening cooperation in all fields in recent years, expressing the Islamic Republic’s readiness to further enhance relations with Armenia.

‘Armenia opposes tensions in region’

The Armenian defense minister, for his part, expressed his country’s opposition to existence of any tension in the regional and between neighboring states and hailed the Islamic Republic’s efforts to contain tensions and crises in the region.

Sargsyan added that Iran enjoys a prominent position in the region and the world and called for bolstering defense cooperation with Tehran.

He also welcomed Iran’s help for the settlement of the dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, saying Armenia believes that there is no military solution to the issue.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict began in 1988 and escalated into armed clashes after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. Sporadic tensions and border skirmishes have continued in the region despite a ceasefire signed in 1994.

Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan; however, it is governed by the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

In April last year, a new wave of unrest erupted in the region and surrounding areas in Azerbaijan, which killed at least 110 people.

A shaky Moscow-brokered ceasefire took effect on April 5, 2016, and stopped the huge fighting, but the two sides still continue to accuse one another of violating the truce.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Armenian defense chief said his country agreed with Iran's stance on the campaign against terrorism and was ready to cooperate with Tehran in this regard.

Sargsyan arrived in Tehran Monday night at the head of a senior defense delegation to hold talks with his Iranian counterpart on leading mutual, regional and international developments.

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