BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 5. Iran seeks to
develop relations with its neighboring countries, particularly
those in the South Caucasus and Central Asia, the Iranian Foreign
Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi said at a meeting with Armenian
Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in Tehran on October 5.


This was announced in a statement published by the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of Iran.


“Iran attaches particular importance to friendly relations with
Armenia and considers the further strengthening of ties with the
countries of the South Caucasus and Central Asia a guarantee of
peace and a factor in ensuring economic development for all
countries in the region,” he noted.


Araghchi outlined Iran’s position on issues of peace and
stability in the South Caucasus and expressed satisfaction with the
ongoing process of developing relations and positive mutual
understanding between Armenia and Azerbaijan.


“Iran is ready to continue multilateral dialogue and
cooperation, including within the 3+3 format, to strengthen
regional cooperation and communication and to establish peace. At
the same time, the negative consequences of third-party involvement
and interference in South Caucasus affairs are a cause for
concern,” he noted.







Araghchi also briefed his Armenian counterpart on issues related
to West Asia, the Persian Gulf, and the Strait of Hormuz, and
stated that "the destabilization of shipping in the Strait of
Hormuz is a consequence of the U.S. and Israeli military attack on
Iran. Iran resolutely defends and will continue to defend its
interests. At the same time, it will never rule out the use of
diplomacy to prevent further escalation of tensions."


During the meeting, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan
also expressed Armenia’s interest in developing cooperation with
Iran and expressed hope that the signing of the Agreement on
Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Iran and Armenia would
contribute to the further strengthening of relations between the
two countries.


Moreover, in the course of the meeting, the ministers exchanged
views on ways to further strengthen cooperation in the economic,
political, trade, transportation, freight, and energy sectors.