The first conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Karabakh erupted in 1988. It was Armenia that won the war at that time annexing Karabakh, with an Armenian majority, as well as some other parts of Azerbaijan to its territory. In the second war in 2020, Azerbaijan emerged triumphant and the annexed regions once again became part of Azerbaijan.
In both wars, Iran took a specific stance, stressing refraining from any change in the borders. Iran condemned the occupation of parts of Azerbaijan by Armenia and threatening the country’s territorial integrity.
In late 2020, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei referred to the war over the Karabakh region as a bitter incident that posed a threat to the entire region. The Supreme Leader stressed that all the Azerbaijani lands occupied by Armenia have to be freed and returned to Azerbaijan as he said they belonged to Azerbaijan.
Ayatollah Khamenei, however, urged both warring sides to maintain the accepted geographical borders.
Iranian officials have always stressed that Tehran is opposed to any occupation of the Azerbaijani lands by Armenia on the one hand and will not accept any plan to undermine Armenia’s territorial integrity on the other hand.
In a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last year, Iran’s Supreme Leader stressed that Iran would oppose any possible plan for blocking Iran’s borders with Armenia which he referred to as a several-thousand-years-old connection route.
Iran, which has always taken big steps in line with the principle of good neighborliness, expects its northwestern neighbors the same.
Iran regards attempts for the creation of the Zangezur corridor or any other destabilizing move as contrary to its own interests and the interests of the entire region and has called both warring sides to stay away from extra-regional inductions.
Iran’s opposition to any change in the regional borders is based on the principles of international relations. Tehran believes that changing the internationally accepted borders will provide the extra-territorial powers to seek intervention in the region. Iran also argues that changing the borders will threaten the psychological, economic, and political security of the nations on both sides of the border.
Written by IRNA Political Desk
Translated by IRNA English Desk
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