TEHRAN – A senior Iranian lawmaker has warned against any effort to change international borders in the South Caucasus region, saying Iran will not accept such a thing after border tensions soared between Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The lawmaker, Mojtaba Zolnouri, who serves as the head of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said Tehran has made it clear that it will not accept any change in international borders in the region.
“The position of the Islamic Republic of Iran is very clear, unequivocal, and decisive. We do not accept any change in the borders of the region. The territorial integrity of the countries in the region must be preserved. At the same time, we do not accept the deployment of any supra-regional forces near our borders,” Zolnouri told Russian state news, Sputnik. 

“Therefore, if part of the territory of Armenia is to be taken and our border conditions change, that is, to have a new neighbor, it is not acceptable for us. The existing borders must be completely protected and the shared border of the Islamic Republic of Iran with Armenia must be maintained,” he continued.

The comments came after Armenia claimed that the Azerbaijani forces have advanced into its sovereign territory in Syunik province. Azerbaijan confirmed that it had deployed troops to the borders with Armenia but said its forces did not enter Armenian territories. 

Zolnouri said Iran backs the territorial integrity of both Azerbaijan and Armenia. “We support the position of Azerbaijan in preserving the territorial integrity of this country and the position of Armenia in preserving the territorial integrity, territory and neighborliness with Iran. We are neighbors of both countries and based on the conditions we had in the past, both countries are viewed as our neighbors, and by maintaining this neighborliness without accepting any change in the region, we support the territorial integrity of both countries,” the lawmaker noted. 

Zolnouri also accused Israel of trying to “create dispute among the region’s countries and muddy the waters in order to fish in the troubled waters.”
Israel is doing so to later intervene in the region, he said. 

The lawmaker said terrorist Takfiri groups are being organized in the vicinity of Iran’s borders with help from Israel and some countries in the region, and this issue is very sensitive in the view of Iran and it won’t let it happen. 

“Any insecurity on our borders will be severely responded to and there is no way for foreigners to enter this area,” he said.