Araghchi was speaking at the 3+3 South Caucasus Regional Cooperation Platform in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Friday.
The third meeting of the 3+3 South Caucasus Regional Cooperation Platform was held in Istanbul with the participation of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Iran, and the Russian Federation.
The meeting was concluded with a joint declaration released by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
It said the primary objective of this platform is to enhance multilateral cooperation in the South Caucasus, based on mutual benefit and guided by the principle of regional ownership.
The meeting addressed matters regarding the establishment of lasting peace and stability, as well as regional development in the South Caucasus. An exchange of views was also held on deepening regional cooperation through concrete projects.
The joint declaration emphasized the contributions of regional economic cooperation to confidence building between countries, as well as to prosperity and stability. It was agreed to explore cooperation opportunities in the fields of transport, communication, trade, energy, investment, and connectivity.
The declaration also underscored the importance of promoting peace and stability in the region through dialogue.
Araghchi termed the 3+3 regional cooperation mechanism as a symbol of the will of these countries to resolve regional issues by the regional countries.
Welcoming Armenia-Azerbaijan peace talks, Araghchi said Iran respects the countries’ territorial integrity, national sovereignty, and internationally recognized borders, as well as avoiding resorting to or threatening to use force as requirements for lasting peace in the region.
Referring to the ongoing brutal crimes committed by the Zionist regime in Gaza and Lebanon, he censured the silence of the US and some Western countries as a symbol of hypocrisy.
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