TEHRAN – Bunyad Huseynov, Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Tehran, has appreciated Iran's support for his country, underlining that Iran’s role in establishing peace in the Nagorno-Karabakh should be highlighted.

“We appreciate the position of the Islamic Republic of Iran in support of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the liberation of the occupied territories,” Huseynov said in an interview with the Iran Daily published on Wednesday.

He added, “Over the past few days, the Leader's international relations adviser, some members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, the Leader's representatives in the northwestern provinces of Iran, the governors, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, the government spokesman, all of them, have supported the positions of the Republic of Azerbaijan. This was also covered in our media. The government of the Republic of Azerbaijan appreciates these rightful positions of Iran.”

The ambassador said Iran’s request to establish peace in Nagorno-Karabakh has been discussed during the phone conversations that were held between the presidents and foreign ministers of Iran and Azerbaijan, and the Azerbaijani side has officially announced that the role of the region’s countries in establishing peace and mediating should be highlighted.

Huseynov noted, “The Republic of Azerbaijan did not see any results from the Minsk Group. Because its members are countries that are far from the region and this issue is not a priority for them. Look at the cooperation of the Republic of Azerbaijan with Iran, Turkey, Russia, and others in terms of customs statistics. The Republic of Azerbaijan has no problem cooperating with any country except Armenia. I am also sure that after the liberation of the occupied territories, trade between Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan will expand. Because if you look at the import and export statistics of the two countries, you will see that most of the items that are exported from Iran to the Republic of Azerbaijan are construction materials.”

With respect to the rockets and mortar shells that have landed inside the Iranian territories, the Azerbaijani ambassador said that he “fully understands Iran’s concerns” in this regard while expressing sympathy with the affected people.

The Azerbaijani diplomat accused Armenia of firing projectiles toward Iranian borders in an effort to undermine the Iran-Azerbaijan relations.

“The target of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan is located on the right and front side. The mortars that hit the Islamic Republic of Iran came from the left side or from behind the armed forces of Azerbaijan. It was the Armenians who did that,” Huseynov pointed out.

He added, “Our embassy in Tehran even issued a statement saying that the bullets and mortars that hit the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran had targeted our relations. As far as you know, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan even issued a statement in this regard. We consider the Iranian-Azerbaijani border as an opportunity and we do not pose a security threat. If this happened or could have happened on the part of Azerbaijan, we could talk to the Iranian brothers and say what the reason was.”

SM/PA