Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, referring to recent regional developments, said: “There is another concern that this road could become a pretext for the presence of American forces in the region.”
According to him, representatives of the Armenian authorities assured their country’s officials during a meeting that they respect Iran’s red lines. “They assured that because of this road, there will be no American forces in Armenia, even American private security companies, which, as you know, are present in some countries in the region, will not have a presence in Armenia under the pretext of this road,” he said.
According to him, these issues will be discussed during the Iranian President’s visit to Armenia. “We will once again raise our concerns, which are known to our Armenian friends. This will be the subject of our discussion.”
“Our policy has been formed within the framework of the 3+3 format, that is, three countries of the Caucasus region: Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, plus three neighboring countries: Iran, Turkey, and Russia, which have interests and common concerns in the area.
There have already been 2-3 meetings in the 3+3 format. Although Georgia is not participating due to disagreements with Russia, this format is so vital for the countries of the region that even in the absence of Georgia, it was decided to continue the meetings, maintaining the name “3+3”.
This format has not yet reached the point where it can solve the problems of the region, but our policy is that the countries of the area should solve the issues in the region. The policy of Russia and, I think, Turkey and other friends is the same,” Araghchi said.
He insisted that the countries of the region support peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
