TEHRAN – Iranian foreign minister has said Tehran is ready to act as a mediator between Yerevan and Baku in the recent conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, inviting the two to exercise restraint.  

Nagorno-Karabakh is a mountainous enclave within Azerbaijan’s borders, populated mainly by ethnic Armenians who reject Azerbaijan's rule. 
With support from Armenia they fought a war in the early 1990s to establish de facto control over the territory, according to Reuters. 
“We recommend the sides exercise restraint in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and we are ready to take whatever steps to establish peace and security in the region,” Mohammad Javad Zarif said during an appearance with his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian on Saturday. 
On Iran-Armenia ties, Zarif said international cooperation between the two countries can expand, highlighting the whole region will benefit from closer ties between Tehran and Yerevan.  
The Armenian foreign minister, for his part, offered gratitude to Iran for its constructive role in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, saying Armenia hopes to benefit from Tehran’s capacities to restore peace in the region during the Minsk Group negotiations. 
The Minsk Group, the activities of which have become known as the Minsk Process, spearheads efforts by the OSCE – the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe - to find a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. It is co-chaired by France, the Russian Federation and the United States. 
The two officials also conferred on a range of issues including economic cooperation, prisoner swap, and visa waiving.
Iran and Armenia have recently reached an agreement to waive visa issuance for the visitors of both countries.

AK/PA