ENVOY: IRAN READY TO MEDIATE IN KARABAKH DISPUTE

Fars News Agency
March 16 2010
Iran

TEHRAN (FNA)- A senior Iranian diplomat voiced Tehran’s readiness to
help resolve the territorial dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia
over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

"Iran has announced its readiness to help the crisis in this region,"
the Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan, Mohammad Baqer Bahrami, told
MNA. The ambassador added that Azerbaijan and Armenia have asked
Iran to mediate in the dispute. "The two sides have accepted that
Iran (must) utilize all the potential which exists in the region to
help resolve the crisis in this region," the envoy said. Commenting
on plans to abolish visa requirements for the citizens of Iran and
Azerbaijan, the ambassador pointed out that Azeri officials have
announced that they are preparing the ground to eliminate visa
requirement for Iranians. Earlier in February, Iranian Parliament
Speaker Ali Larijani had said in a meeting with his Azeri counterpart
Ogtay Asadov that Tehran would spare no efforts to help resolve the
territorial dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Larijani suggested
that regional countries could take a collective important step to
help end the long-running dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The
senior lawmaker added that Iran’s strategic policy is to strengthen
peace and security in the Caucasus region.