Iranian ambassador advises collective West to stop trying to involve Armenia in its geopolitical games
ArmInfo. A number of European embassies in Yerevan are planting one-sided narratives in Armenian society in connection with Iran's retaliatory actions against Israel on the night of April 13. Ambassador of Iran to Armenia Mehdi Sobhani stated on April 16 at a press conference in Yerevan, referring to Iran's retaliatory actions against Israel after the Israeli strike on the Iranian diplomatic facility in Damascus.
He explained that such narratives are spread on Twitter (X) in Armenian and Farsi in order to promote their own one-sided position. "Thus, they are trying to discredit Iran in the eyes of the Armenian society. I advise them to stop this adventure and stop attempts to drag Armenia into their geopolitical games. They know very well that one of the key factors of instability in the South Caucasus is the Zionist regime," Iranian diplomat added.
In this vein, he recalled that Armenian soldiers were killed with Israeli weapons in the second Nagorno- Karabakh war. "Don't try to cleanse this regime. A dirty handkerchief doesn't clean glass. You can't bring peace to the region with double standards," Sobhani added. At the same time, he emphasized again that Iran is pursuing a policy based on peace and neighborliness. Sobhani stressed that Iran considers the security of its neighbors as its security. "Viva Iran, viva Armenia!", he noted.
When asked to comment on Azerbaijan's aggressive rhetoric towards Armenia and the prospects for signing a peace treaty between Yerevan and Baku, the Iranian Ambassador noted that Tehran is not happy with the possible escalation of the situation in the region.
"We are dissatisfied with the possible increase in tension in the region. The increase in tension harms the peoples of the region, as well as the neighbors of Armenia and Azerbaijan. We call on both sides to be calm, urge them to exercise restraint and continue dialogue on peace," the Ambassador noted.
At the same time, I am confident that important factors in reducing tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan are dialogue and diplomacy, as well as respect for national sovereignty and the inviolability of internationally recognized borders and international law. "War never solved problems!", he added. Referring to Tehran's statements about the inadmissibility of interference by extra-regional forces in the affairs of the region and clarification whether Russia is also included in this circle, the Iranian Ambassador explained that Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia and Turkey are considered regional countries.
"Russia has a border with Georgia and Azerbaijan, it is not considered a non-regional country," he said. "When we talk about extra-regional forces, we mean countries located on the other side of the ocean that will not face demographic and geopolitical problems. That is, they come here from overseas and try to make decisions for the peoples of this region," the Iranian diplomat said, once again emphasizing that it is about some European countries and the United States.