Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, said Iran will prevent the creation of an American corridor in the Caucasus region no matter whether Moscow will join Tehran or not.
In an exclusive interview with Tasnim, Velayati dismissed the idea of the so-called Zangezur corridor that is designed to link the Republic of Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan.
Asked about an agreement to grant the US a 99-year development lease on the corridor, located along Armenia's border with Iran, Velayati said such a corridor will turn into a graveyard of the mercenaries of Donald Trump, not a route owned by the US president.
The Caucasus is one of the world’s most sensitive regions, he added, saying Iran has always opposed the creation of the Zangezur corridor, as it would alter the region’s geopolitics, redraw borders, and lead to Armenia’s disintegration.
He noted that the corridor plan is fiercely opposed by the Armenian people as well, because it will entail disintegration of their country.
Velayati said Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had announced in previous visits to Iran that the plot for the corridor has definite harms and had expressed his opposition to the creation of the corridor in concurrence with Iran’s stances.
The former foreign minister warned that the implementation of the corridor plan will jeopardize the security of South Caucasus.
“As a result, Iran has insisted that it will move in line with the security of South Caucasus, with or without Russia. We believe that Russia is also strategically opposed to that corridor,” Velayati said.
The Zangezur corridor is not a mere trade route, but a political plot against Iran and other neighboring countries, he warned, saying, “Apart from Turkey, which is a member of NATO, the other NATO countries want to be present in this region too. NATO wants to lie between Iran and Russia like a viper, but Iran will not permit it.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin had repeatedly warned that Moscow will take action if Ukraine intends to join NATO, he said, adding that Iran will also prevent NATO from getting closer to its northern borders. “We believe that prevention is better than treatment.”
Velayati emphasized that links between the Republic of Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan would not need any corridors, saying they can use the Iranian soil for connection.
“The equations and arrangements of this region are not confined to the two countries of Azerbaijan and Armenia. A geopolitical change in the region will relocate the borders of Iran too. Therefore, we have the right to defend our interests quite strongly,” he underlined.
The senior adviser to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution further pointed to the latest developments in Lebanon and the American push for the disarmament of Hezbollah, saying, “This is not the first time that such discussions are raised in Lebanon. Such anti-Lebanese plots were futile in the past and they will not get anywhere this time either. Resistance will stand against these plots.”
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Rejecting the presence of any foreign military forces in a new transport route as part of a US-brokered deal between Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Iranian president warned that the US may pursue hegemonic plans in the Caucasus under the cloak of economic investment.
ReplyDeleteIn a telephone conversation with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan on Monday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian hailed the “strategic” and constructive relations between the two countries which he said are based upon good neighborliness and mutual respect for the territorial integrity of each other.
Denouncing attempts to harm the deep-rooted and age-old ties between Tehran and Yerevan, Pezeshkian said, “As the anchorage of peace, stability and security in the region, the Islamic Republic of Iran would welcome any agreement strengthening peace, especially among regional countries.”
Pointing to the US-brokered agreement on the creation of a corridor that is designed to link the Republic of Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan and grant the US a 99-year development lease on the route in southern Armenia, the Iranian president stressed the need to preserve Armenia’s sovereignty and prevent the involvement of any foreign military and security forces in this project.
Urging extreme caution and vigilance in the face of the possible American measures, Pezeshkian warned that the US may be pursuing “hegemonic goals” in the Caucasus in the guise of economic investment and the claim of ensuring peace.
“One must make sure that this route will be really the route of peace and development, not a tool for the realization of the hegemonic objectives of outsiders,” the Iranian president told the Armenian prime minister.
He stressed that maintaining close relations among Iran, Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan requires caution, coordination, rapport and avoidance of foreign intervention.
US' economic projects in the South Caucasus may be a cover to expand America's influence in the region, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan by telephone.
ReplyDelete"It is necessary to observe with extreme caution the future steps of the American side, which, under the guise of investment projects and peace-loving statements, may actually be trying to establish its hegemony in the South Caucasus," Peseshkian said on Telegram.
According to the Iranian president, Armenia should not allow armies of third countries to implement the transport corridor project, which will connect the main part of Azerbaijan with its enclave in Nakhichevan.
Earlier, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Armenia and Azerbaijan had removed the creation of the extraterritorial Zangezur corridor from the agenda. The diplomat said that Iran's concerns at the moment are related to the expansion of foreign influence in the South Caucasus, and Tehran is consulting with Yerevan on this topic.
Iran stepped up warnings to Armenia on Monday over a planned US-backed corridor linking Azerbaijan to an exclave near the Iranian border, part of a recent peace deal between Yerevan and Baku.
ReplyDeleteIn a phone call with Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian “warned against possible actions by the United States, which could pursue hegemonic goals in the Caucasus region under the guise of economic investments and peace guarantees,” according to a statement from Tehran.