Iran urges respect to Azerbaijan territorial integrity

TEHRAN (AA)- Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said that the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan should be respected regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

This came during a press conference held by Khatibzadeh on Monday at the Iranian Foreign Ministry in Tehran.

In response to a question by Anadolu Agency about whether weapons were sent to Armenia through Iran, Khatibzadeh denied this in advance.

"Iran is a transit border for Armenia and we are committed within the framework of good-neighborly relations to using this border to cross only humanitarian goods for the Armenian government and people, [and] military vehicles are not allowed to pass in any way," Khatibzadeh said.

The spokesperson called for an end to Armenia's occupation of the Karabakh region, pointing out that Iran wants this issue to be resolved permanently not temporarily.

He stressed that the two sides must stop armed clashes immediately and begin scheduled political talks.

Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Upper Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan.

Multiple UN resolutions, as well as many international organizations, demand the withdrawal of the invading forces.

The OSCE Minsk Group -- co-chaired by France, Russia and the US -- was formed in 1992 to find a peaceful solution to the conflict, but to no avail. A cease-fire, however, was agreed upon in 1994.

Many world powers, including Russia, France and the US, have urged an immediate cease-fire. Turkey, meanwhile, has supported Baku's right to self-defense.

*Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara