Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian speaks to reporters in Yerevan on Dec. 27

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who was in Yerevan on Wednesday, once again voiced his country’s support for Armenia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Official Tehran has been a vocal opponent of Baku’s ambitions to carve out a land corridor through Armenia to connect with Nakhichevan.

During a joint press conference with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan, Amir-Abdollahian also welcomed Yerevan’s efforts to establish peace in the region, specifically supporting the Armenian government’s so-called “Crossroads of Peace” plan.

He told reporters that during his meeting Mirzoyan, they “reflected on stable peace and stability in the South Caucasus and the role that Iran has as an active factor and can assume the role of a guarantor of peace and stability in the region.”

“I would like to emphasize that Iran supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Armenia. Iran has had historical relations with neighboring Armenia, which are further developing, deepening, and reaching a high level day by day,” Amir-Abdollahian emphasized.

“We fully understood that Armenia is very serious about achieving stable peace and is taking serious steps,” Iran’s top diplomat said.

Amir-Abdollahian reflected on recent telephone conversations he held with his Azerbaijani and Russian counterparts, Jeyhum Bayramov and Sergey Lavrov, saying that he is convinced that they too are commitment to “lasting peace” between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“I think that it is possible to achieve [agreement between Armenia an Azerbaijan] in the first months of the new year in order to achieve stable peace,” he said.

Amir-Abdollahian said that Tehran is optimistic about peace in region, and believes that there are various avenues, including the so-called “3+3″ format, to ensure stability in the region “without external influences.”

The Iranian foreign minister stressed the importance of excluding “intervention of foreign forces” several times during his remarks.

“Iran supports the establishment of stable peace in the South Caucasus and the launch of the North-South transit route. Iran also welcomes the project proposed by the Prime Minister of Armenia, which was presented as the Crossroads of Peace. We are ready to be consistent for the development of the North-South transit route,” Amir-Abdollahian added.