Iran praises Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement

A service member of the Russian peacekeeping troops stands next to a tank near the border with Armenia, following the signing of a deal to end the military conflict between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces, in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, November 10, 2020.
A service member of the Russian peacekeeping troops stands next to a tank near the border with Armenia, following the signing of a deal to end the military conflict between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces, in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, November 10, 2020.

Iran's president has welcomed the recent peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, expressing Iran's commitment to regional stability, even as reports of border clashes surfaced.

In a phone call with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Masoud Pezeshkian expressed his satisfaction with the peace deal, emphasizing Iran's long-standing support for "peace, convergence, and stability in the region, especially among neighbors, while preserving the territorial integrity of countries," according to a statement from the Iranian presidency.

Pashinyan briefed Pezeshkian on the negotiation process. He also acknowledged the development and dynamism in bilateral relations with Iran under Pezeshkian's leadership, according to Iran’s state media.

However, the positive developments were overshadowed by renewed tensions on the ground. On Sunday, Azerbaijan's defense ministry accused Armenian forces of firing on Azerbaijani positions from Armenia's southern Syunik province, a claim Yerevan denied.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, a decades-long dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan, intensified after the Soviet Union's collapse. Nagorno-Karabakh, known as Artsakh by Armenians, is a mountainous region within Azerbaijan, internationally recognized as such, but until 2023, was predominantly inhabited by ethnic Armenians.

Despite the tensions, both Azerbaijan and Armenia announced on Thursday that they had agreed on the text of a peace agreement, marking a potential breakthrough in the decades-long conflict between the two South Caucasus nations.

Tehran has consistently emphasized its interest in maintaining stability along its northern 44-kilometer border, given the potential for regional conflicts to intersect with ethnic and religious tensions.