Iranian ambassador to Armenia welcomes Yerevan-Baku agreement 

ArmInfo.  Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Mehdi Sobhani supported the Washington agreements between Yerevan and Baku.

According to the diplomat, the agreement between Yerevan and Baku  includes five principles that the Islamic Republic of Iran adheres  to, including respect for national sovereignty, respect for the  integrity of borders, jurisdiction, reciprocity and inviolability of  borders. In this vein, he quoted Armenian officials who stated that  Yerevan "will not take any steps that contradict the interests of the  Islamic Republic of Iran and the relations between the two  countries."

Referring to the issue related to the transit corridor, the diplomat  said that this issue was only initialed in the 17-point peace  agreement between the two countries and has not yet been finally  signed. According to Sobhani, neither the peace agreement document  nor the statement signed by the two countries in Washington mentions  transport routes or anything called a corridor, but only discusses  opening transport routes that will provide Azerbaijan with access to  Nakhchivan, while Armenia, in turn, will be connected to Jolfa in  Iran by rail.

"The text of the statement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the  details of which are to be discussed by the two countries in the  future, fully takes into account the five principles that the Islamic  Republic of Iran desires, including respect for national sovereignty,  respect for the integrity of borders, jurisdiction, reciprocity and  inviolability of borders, and therefore there is no reason to worry  about this," he said in an interview with Isca News. Sobhani added  that Armenia and the United States have agreed verbally, not in  writing, to register an Armenian-American joint venture in Armenia  and to determine the operator and investor for the implementation of  the project, which will be entirely within the framework of Armenia's  national sovereignty and jurisdiction and will be regulated by  Armenian security agencies, passport control and customs procedures.  "According to the agreement, this will be a kind of operatorship, not  ownership of the route," he noted.

The senior Iranian diplomat cited the example of Yerevan Airport,  which is owned by the Armenian government, and passport control,  customs procedures and security checks are carried out by the  government, but the management of the airport has been handed over to  an investment company, adding that based on the above, the  expressions used under the name of "99-year lease" for the agreed  transit route are incorrect.

Sobhani assured that the Armenian government stated during the visit  of the Iranian President that it will not take any steps that are  contrary to the interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the  relations between the two countries, and that the common border with  Iran is of special importance to them, and they will not harm it in  any way.

The Iranian ambassador to Yerevan said that the common border between  the two countries is a "border of hope" and has been a symbol of good  neighborliness between the two countries throughout history, and  stressed: "Considering the agreements reached, the future of  relations between the two countries will be very bright and will  expand further than before." The diplomat assured that the visit of  the Secretary of the National Security Council of Armenia to Tehran  just a few days after the visit of the Iranian President to Yerevan  for security talks reflects the understanding of the Armenian side of  Iran's sensitive issues. "Very good negotiations took place in this  regard, and both countries are on the way to signing a long-term  strategic agreement that will take into account all considerations,"  he concluded.

On August 8, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani  President Ilham Aliyev signed a seven-point joint "Declaration of  Peace" in Washington. It provides for a joint appeal to the  Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to  terminate the OSCE Minsk process and related structures, as well as  the creation of a transport corridor through Armenian territory that  will connect Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave, surrounded by  Armenia, Turkey and Iran. The TRIPP project (Trump Route for  International Peace and Prosperity, a 42-km road in the south of  Armenia that will hand over control of the road to the United States  for 99 years), according to experts, is capable of significantly  changing the geopolitical situation in the South Caucasus.