Iran Supports Azerbaijan’s Territorial Integrity, Karrazi Says
Baku Today
May 25 2004
Tehran will always stick to its policy of supporting Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity in the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kamal Karrazi, said on Sunday,
according to Azertag news agency.
Iran has always supported Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity in the
United Nations and this policy will not be changed, Karrazi said in
a meeting with Azerbaijan’s deputy foreign minister, Khalaf Khalafov.
The Iranian foreign minister also said his country is for a peaceful
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and that it would do its
best so that the conflict is resolved peacefully.
Azerbaijan’s former autonomous region of Nagorno-Karabakh — which
was home to 140,000 ethnic-Armenians and 40,000 Azeris, according to
1989 census, was occupied by Armenian army in 1991-94 war. The latter
also took control of seven Azeri administrative districts, Lachin,
Kelbejar, Aghdam, Fuzuli, Jebrail, Zengilan and Qubadli, in the war.
Despite a cease-fire agreement reached between the two countries
in May 1994, peace negotiations mediated by OSCE s Minsk group has
failed to find a final settlement to the conflict.
Karrazi also mentioned that the Iranian President Mahammad Khatami
is planning to make an official visit to Azerbaijan soon.