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What is Iran's position on Karabakh and Genocide: Summary

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  • What is Iran's position on Karabakh and Genocide: Summary

    What is Iran's position on Karabakh and Genocide: SUMMARY


    Crucial developments took place in Iran-West relations in 2013: the
    country elected a new president. Aysor.am asked Armen Israelyan, an
    expert on Iran, to comment on Iran's position on developments in
    political and economic relations of Iran and Armenia in the outgoing
    year, as well as on the Nagorno Karabakh problem and the Armenian
    Genocide.

    `The political relations of Iran and Armenia are at a high level. One
    of the priorities of Iran's foreign policy is to deepen relations with
    Armenia - the only Christian neighboring country - at all levels,' the
    expert told us, adding: `For its part, official Yerevan attaches
    importance to the development of ties with Tehran. For this purpose
    Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan attended the inauguration of the
    newly-elected Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Besides, there have
    been high-level mutual contacts this year between the speakers of the
    parliaments of the two countries, foreign ministers and officials of
    other state bodies. It is noteworthy that Iran and Armenia actively
    cooperate in international organizations as well'.

    When asked what stance Iran takes on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict,
    Israelyan in particular said: `The interests of Armenia and Iran in
    the region coincide. In the past 20 years Iran has implemented a
    balanced policy on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, thanks to which the
    conflict - contrary to Baku's wishes - didn't get a religious nuance.
    As regards Tehran's stance, I should say that Iran believes that the
    OSCE Minsk Group does not function efficiently so in recent period
    Iran has offered its mediatory mission to the conflicting parties. By
    the way, Iran was the first country to carry out a mediatory mission
    in the Karabakh problem in 1992, which, however, failed following the
    liberation of Shushi'.

    The expert on Iran added: `Although Azerbaijan that lost the Artsakh
    war accuses Iran of assisting Armenia, the fact is that, as Iranian
    officials admit, Iran provided considerable military and financial
    assistance to Azerbaijan during military operations.

    Although the Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan, some deputies of the
    Majlis and some clerics sometimes make statements contradicting
    Tehran's official position, Iran states at the level of the country's
    president and foreign minister that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
    should be resolved through negotiations, with the participation of
    regional countries, and based on the fundamental international
    principles.

    Speaking about the Armenian Genocide problem, Israelyan said that
    there have been some changes in recent years in official Tehran's
    position concerning the Armenian Genocide. For the first time in seven
    years, the Iranian authorities allowed Iran's Armenian community to
    stage a protest outside the Turkish embassy on April 24 of this year.
    Unlike heads of many Christian countries, the founder of the Islamic
    Republic of Iran Imam Khomeini condemned the Armenian Genocide, former
    President Khatami visited the Genocide Victims Memorial during his
    visit to Armenia, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also condemned the Genocide
    twice during his term of office.

    `It is unlikely that Tehran will officially recognize the Armenian
    Genocide in the near future, but regional developments are taking
    place with such rapidity that it is not ruled out that by 2015 - the
    100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, there will be such a
    situation in Turkish-Iranian relations that it will make Iran
    introduce clarity into its position on the Genocide,' the expert
    noted.

    When discussing bilateral economic relations, Israelyan said that
    bilateral trade has declined a bit this year due to the economic
    sanctions against Iran and other objective reasons: bilateral trade
    amounted to $222 million in nine months of 2013 as compared with $245
    in the same period of 2012. He added that the year has not ended yet
    and the figures will grow after the 2013 economic year is summed up -
    in all likelihood the indices of last year will be recorded.

    `The North-South Transport Corridor is under construction. The third
    power transmission line will be put into operation soon. As for other
    projects, it should be mentioned that construction of the Meghri
    hydropower plant, the railway, and the oil pipeline are on the agenda
    of the two countries' governments. In case of normalization of
    Iran-West relations when sanctions on Iranian banking sector are
    lifted, there will be progress in the implementation of these
    projects,' the expert on Iran said.

    Speaking about Iranian Armenians, A. Israelyan said that they are
    considered a religious minority whose rights are stipulated in Iran's
    Constitution. About 100 thousand Armenians currently live in Iran.
    There are over two hundred Armenian churches in Iran. One of them,
    Gharakilisa Monastery, has been included in UNESCO's World Heritage
    List thanks to efforts of the Iranian authorities. There are also
    plans to include Isfahan's St. Amenaprkich Church (Vank) in that list.
    The Armenian Apostolic Church has three dioceses in Iran: Atrpatakan,
    Tehran, and Isfahan Dioceses. Two deputies represent the interests of
    the Iranian Armenians in the Majlis.

    http://www.aysor.am/en/news/2013/12/27/armen-israyelyan/

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