Iranian envoy says Azeri oil project “political” not commercial – Armenian paper

Iravunk, Yerevan
29 Oct 04

Not only the interests of the world’s super powers clash in the South
Caucasus but also those of the regional countries. In this sense
relations between Iran and Armenia stand out as they have always
been friendly and warm. The Iranian ambassador to Armenia, Ali Reza
Haqiqian, answers some of the questions regarding Armenian-Iranian
relations.

[Iravunk correspondent] Mr Ambassador, what do you think of the
current level of Armenian-Iranian relations?

[Ali Reza Haqiqian] Today Iran-Armenian relations are at a good level.

[Passage omitted: the ambassador says that Kocharyan’s visit to Iran
In 2001 and Khatami’s visit to Armenia this year played an important
role in deepening relations and strengthening a long-lasting peace
in the Caucasus and calls for multilateral links]

[Correspondent] Although Nagornyy Karabakh is an unrecognized country,
it is Iran’s neighbour, and the latter has to have a certain position
on the Karabakh settlement. Which principles should be taken into
account in settling the Karabakh issue?

[Haqiqian] Iran’s position on regional developments is precise
and is based on the principles of cooperation, balance and mutual
understanding. We stress the need for a peaceful settlement of
the Karabakh issue and the continuation of Armenian-Azerbaijani
negotiations. And Iran has always expressed its readiness to help
settle the problem.

[Correspondent] After 15 years of neutrality Iran finally said that
it recognizes Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. It is quite normal
for a country to sympathize with its neighbour’s problems, but why
does your country put an emphasis on this? Does this statement mean
a radical change in Iran’s position?

[Haqiqian] Iran has not changed its principled position on the regional
developments and neighbouring countries.

[Correspondent] It is known that the USA and Azerbaijan have very
close relations. In this case why is Iran siding with these two?

[Haqiqian] Iran builds its bilateral relations with all the countries
and especially with its neighbours on the basis of the principle of
mutual respect and non-interference in the internal affairs. It is
noteworthy that relations with our neighbours develop in different
spheres on the basis of the will, desire, ability and potential of
the parties involved.

[Correspondent] They say that the Moscow-Baku-Tehran railway will
become an alternative to the Baku-Tbilisi Ceyhan [oil pipeline, BTC,
as received]. What is your view?

[Haqiqian] Iran has an important role and place in the regional
communication and transit system. For this reason it is natural for
the regional countries to be interested in developing cooperation with
Iran. Moreover the situation in the region and regional developments
have once again shown the significance of the Iranian direction. We
hope that this will also create conditions for the development of
regional cooperation. As for the BTC project, many specialists think
it is not a commercial but a political project.

[Correspondent] What can you say about a gas pipeline to link Iran
and Armenia? Will it become a transit one?

[Haqiqian] The Iranian-Armenian gas pipeline is one of the most
important elements of our relations. The construction of the gas
pipeline will have a positive economic impact on the region. As for
the transit problem, I must say that on the whole the development of
cooperation among different countries, in particular, in the energy
sphere will contribute to greater mutual understanding. At the
same time in case of the gas transit we must look at the economic,
technical and other sides of the issue.