Iran voices support for territorial integrity, borders of regional countries

"The Islamic Republic of Iran opposes any geopolitical change or the presence of Western military forces in the Caucasus because the presence of foreigners will not only fail to solve any problem but will also cause new problems," Raeisi said in a Monday phone call with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

"In line with the neighborhood policy and improvement of relations, the Islamic Republic of Iran attaches great significance and gives priority to increase interactions and cooperation with the South Caucasus region," he added.

The Iranian president emphasized that Armenia and Azerbaijan should recognize each other's territorial integrity as an important step towards the establishment of peace.

The common border between the two countries should transcend beyond being just a security issue, and must rather be used to boost economic ties, he said.

For his part, the Armenian prime minister briefed the Iranian president on the latest developments regarding his country's peace talks with Azerbaijan in which they would agree on borders, settle differences over the enclave, and unfreeze relations.

His remarks came against a backdrop of decades of tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Karabakh region on the border between the two countries.

In 2020, the second Karabakh war broke out, killing more than 6,500 people on both sides during a six-week conflict. The war ended with a Russian-brokered deal that saw Yerevan cede swathes of the Azerbaijani territory that it had been holding for several decades.