Armenia Warns Multiple Times About Foreign Forces Presence in Nagorno-Karabakh Region: Prime Minister's Interview with IRNA

The President of Iran has expressed willingness to play a constructive role in resolving disagreements between Armenia and Azerbaijan. What will Armenia's response be to this proposal, and what initiative can Iran undertake to mediate?

In an interview with the IRNA agency, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that the co-chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group is the only internationally recognized framework for resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. As an important country in the region, Iran can play a role.

Pashinyan emphasized, "At this stage, I believe that this role should be focused on stopping military operations, and we welcome any constructive steps from Iran aimed at establishing peace and stability in the region." Armenia has repeatedly warned about the presence of foreign forces in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Nikol Pashinyan reiterated that terrorist mercenaries from Syria have been transferred to the region by Turkey to conduct military operations. This is a serious threat to the region, and unfortunately, the countries in the region are not responding adequately to this fact.

Pashinyan said, "It is clear that the presence of terrorists will create threats, and we will still see the consequences of this in the region. I believe that the countries in the region should respond more sternly to this fact." There is concern in Iran that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict could escalate into a large-scale and prolonged war, drawing in global powers as well.

What proposals and solutions does Armenia have to return the issue to the framework of Armenian-Azerbaijani dialogue? Pashinyan noted that Azerbaijan is widely using Israeli UAVs, which indicates that external forces are intervening; that is, interventions come in various forms.

Aside from the role of the OSCE Minsk Group's co-chairing countries, no such intervention or mediation is noticeable. However, the fact remains that even the co-chairing countries of the Minsk Group have been unable to influence the current events. While they indeed make statements and express positions, they cannot have a real impact on the situation, that is a fact.

What factors hinder the establishment of a ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh? Following the meeting in Moscow and the agreement between Baku and Yerevan, why do military operations continue? According to the Prime Minister, Turkey continuously encourages that there should be no ceasefire, as Turkey's issues are much broader. Here, it is not only about the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, but also overall Turkey has decided to extend its hand over the region of the South Caucasus.

Pashinyan said, "I would like to emphasize that this is part of Turkey's imperial policy, and Turkey wants to expand its influence towards the east of Nagorno-Karabakh, North and Southeast. This policy will have a direct impact on all countries in the region. The countries of the region should take this reality into account and clarify their positions in this regard." The mines from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have fallen into Iranian territory, and numerous UAVs have entered Iranian airspace. The Prime Minister assured that the Armenian side is doing everything possible to avoid causing any inconvenience to the friendly country of Iran, and that such incidents have not been recorded. The Armenian side is doing its utmost to prevent such incidents.