Iran Opposes Presence of External Forces in Caucasus region, Says Pezeshkian

President Masoud Pezeshkian says Iran supports the recently signed peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but at the same time, opposes the presence of extra-regional forces in the Caucasus region.

Pezeshkian made the remark while meeting Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Tianjin, China.

The Iranian president and his Turkish counterpart discussed a host of issues including Syria, Gaza, Iraq, Iran’s nuclear program, developments in the Caucasus, as well as Tehran-Ankara relations.

Pezeshkian referred to the US-brokered agreement that Armenia and Azerbaijan signed last month to resolve their long-standing territorial dispute, saying that Iran backs the peace deal.

“We support the agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan as a means of consolidating peace and stability. At the same time, we oppose any presence of external forces in the Caucasus region,” he noted.

Elsewhere in his remarks, President Pezeshkian said that Iran is ready to negotiate with the United States on the basis of the recognition of Iran’s nuclear rights and reaching a win-win solution.

As for the “snapback mechanism,” which Britian, Germany, and France – all of them members of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal – triggered last week to restore UN sanctions on Iran, Pezeshkian said that the trio are not legitimate to activate the mechanism, because they have not fulfilled their commitments.

Erdogan, on his part, said that activating the mechanism is totally unconstructive, and emphasized Iran’s right to have peaceful nuclear activities.

He also said keeping the door open for negotiations between Iran and the United States will thwart Israel's plans.