وارطان داوتیان

Iran is ready to render possible assistance in settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Manouchehr Mottaki told a news conference following his meeting with his Azeri counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov, reported APA. The situation in the South Caucasus and Nagorno-Karabakh conflict were high on the agenda of the Iranian and Azeri FMs talks.

“We discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral and regional cooperation,” Mammadyarov said. He expressed hope that Iran will continue its efforts to establish peace and stability in the region. According to Mammadyarov, Iran is a stable state in the region, and this stability is of high importance for the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. “The sooner is the conflict settled the better is for the entire region. A special role in regional stability is being assigned to Iran,” the Azeri FM said.
Minister Manouchehr Mottaki pointed out that the sides discussed all the aspects of bilateral cooperation and transit through the North-South corridor. New types of economic cooperation were proposed.
The IRNA News Agency reported that the regional security problem was also discussed at a meeting with Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Saeed Jalili. Mr. Jalili stressed the unacceptability of external interference in regional stability. “Security in the Caucasus and in he Caspian region is a matter of the states of the region alone,” he said.