Armenia has declared and declares that it is open to talk about the unblocking of communications, but Azerbaijan is trying to misinterpret and talk about the so-called “Zangezur corridor”, yet there hasn’t been any word or agreement about this. This is what Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan said during a briefing with his Iranian counterpart in Tehran, as reported the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia.

“First of all, I would like to thank Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran Amirabdollahian for the invitation, cordial reception and fruitful discussions. In an atmosphere of friendship and mutual trust, we expressed our satisfaction with the high level of Armenian-Iranian relations and emphasized that our partnership is hinged on the fraternity spanning millennia, and we both expressed willingness to deepen our strategic partnership in all directions.

We thoroughly discussed the regional developments. I obviously thoroughly touched upon the recent Azerbaijani-Turkish aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh and the consequences. Of course, we also mentioned that terrorist mercenaries from various hot spots also took part in the aggression.

I stated that there are still many humanitarian issues that remained after the war. Although Azerbaijan had expressed commitment to release all Armenian prisoners of war and civilian hostages after the cessation of hostilities, they are still detained in Baku, and they need to be immediately released and returned. I also noted that Armenia and Azerbaijan need to start talks about the unblocking of communications in the region through the mediation of Russia, but there are problems.

Armenia has declared and declares that it is open to talk about the unblocking of communications, but Azerbaijan is trying to misinterpret and talk about the so-called “Zangezur corridor”, yet there hasn’t been any word or agreement about this.

This and Azerbaijan’s encroachments on the sovereign territory of Armenia pose a danger to our efforts for stability and security in the region. In this regard, we highly appreciate Iran’s stance on the territorial integrity and inviolability of the borders of Armenia.

I also informed my counterpart that, in essence, the peace process within the framework of the Co-Chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group was re-launched a few days ago in New York. Taking the opportunity, again I would like to reaffirm once Armenia’s willingness to continue the full process for a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict under the auspices of the Co-Chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group and based on the well-known principles and elements.

Of course, the recent challenges with regard to transport and the paths to overcome the difficulties were among the major topics. I provided the distinguished minister with details about road construction and the current challenges and informed that construction of the detour is almost over.

We also talked about continuation and acceleration of our large joint programs.

Once again, I would like to mention that, as the minister affirmed, the political leaderships of the two countries are persistent to enhance and deepen our relations fully and as partners.”