NOURNEWS - Iran in a statement on Tuesday welcomed the ceasefire agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, mediated by Russia, expressing the hope that it would pave the ground for the establishment of sustainable peace in the Caucasus region.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes the agreement between the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation, which led to a ceasefire and a cessation of hostilities, and hopes that this agreement, the principles of which were set out in the proposed plan of the Islamic Republic of Iran, will lead to final arrangements to establish sustainable peace in the Caucasus region in a way that it contains peace and prosperity for the people in all countries of the region and remove the existing concerns,” the statement said.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran emphasizes the need for respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, no change to the official international borders, liberation of occupied territories, return of the refugees, respect for the security and rights of minorities, and withdrawal of all Takfiri forces and foreign fighters from the region,” it added.
The statement again underlined its preparedness to help to the materialization of sustainable peace and security in the region and partnership in the regional initiatives.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran also declares its readiness to help to the establishment of the Russian Federation’s peacekeeping forces along with the contact lines based on the paragraphs 3 and 4 of the ceasefire agreement,” it added.
Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia signed an agreement on Tuesday to end six weeks of fierce fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh in a deal Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan described as “unspeakably painful” in an emotional Facebook post.
The post was the first indication of a deal, with Pashinyan saying the agreement would take effect from 1am on Tuesday (21:00 GMT on Monday) to end a conflict that has left at least 1,000 people dead.
The deal was later confirmed by Azerbaijan and the Kremlin.
“The signed trilateral statement will become a (crucial) point in the settlement of the conflict,” Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said in a televised online meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The agreement came hours after ethnic Armenian officials in the disputed region confirmed that the key city of Shusha (known as Shushi in Armenia), the second-biggest city in the enclave, had been taken by Azeri forces. Azerbaijan also said on Monday it had taken dozens more settlements.
Describing the decision as “unspeakably painful for me personally and for our people”, Pashinyan said the agreement followed “an in-depth analysis of the military situation” that has seen Azeri forces closing in on Stepanakert, the region’s main city.
He said the agreement was “the best possible solution to the current situation”.
In Azerbaijan, meanwhile, Aliyev said the agreement was “historic” and that Armenia had been forced to negotiate because of Azerbaijan’s military successes.
NOURNEWS