Nakhijevan meeting of FMs aimed to alleviate tensions, expert says

PanARMENIAN.Net - Nakhijevan statement signed by the Foreign Ministers of Iran, Turkey and Azerbaijan says territories of these countries will not be used for hostilities against each other, expert of Iranian studies Rudik Yalaryan said.

Commenting upon the joint statement by the three ministers, the expert said at a press conference in Yerevan that the Nakhijevan meeting aimed to alleviate the tensions between these countries. In this context, the meeting was not expected to target strategic goals, but was rather a formal one.

With regard to Karabakh conflict resolution, Yalaryan pointed out that Iran has always offered its mediation in this issue.

For his part, expert in Azerbaijani studies Sargis Asatryan noted that the Iranian Foreign Minister made a balanced statement during the meeting saying the conflict must be settled in compliance with the international law. He said no serious document was signed in Nakhijevan.

In addition, he said implementation of the trilateral program linking the Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku and Tabriz-Julfa railways will further add to Armenia’s blockade. In this regard, the expert believes Armenia should make some efforts and implement the Iran-Armenia railway construction program.

During their meeting in Nakhijevan, the Foreign Ministers of Iran, Turkey and AzerbaijanAli Akbar Salehi, Ahmet Davutoglu and Elmar Mammadyarov signed the “Nakhijevan statement”, in which the parties confirmed the importance of speedy resolution of Karabakh conflict, “on the basis of principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and respect to internationally recognized state borders.” In total, the three ministers stated that Caucasus should become the region of peace and prosperity.

Ministers pledged to never allow to use their territories for hostile activities against each others. In view of the increased tensions between Iran and the West, as well as Turkey’s membership in NATO, this part of the joint statement was very positively assessed by the Iranian side.