Scandal: What Message Did Armen Sarkissian Convey to Aliyev

Mohammad Javad Zarif is one of the veteran diplomats of the Islamic Republic of Iran and is among the most active campaigners for Masoud Pezeshkian, the presidential candidate in the upcoming 2024 presidential elections. He held the position of chairman of the strategic council during the transitional period of Iran's 14th government, and prior to that, he visited Yerevan and Baku as Iraq’s foreign minister six months after the end of the 44-day war.

In Yerevan, the Iranian Foreign Minister also held a meeting with former Armenian President Armen Sarkissian as part of the scheduled program. Recently, Zarif shared noteworthy details from the Yerevan meeting in one of his recorded interviews. According to Mohammad Javad Zarif, during a bilateral conversation following an expanded meeting, Armen Sarkissian asked for a message to be conveyed to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, worded as follows: '28 years ago we were strong, and Azerbaijan was weak. We took control of Nagorno-Karabakh, humiliated you (Azerbaijanis), and did not negotiate with you. We humiliated you for 28 years and fell to this day. Do not repeat our mistake.'

Zarif also added, 'I conveyed the Armenian President's message to President Ilham Aliyev in Baku, emphasizing that peace should be established when you are strong.' Ilham Aliyev considered these words logical and stated that Azerbaijan would act accordingly,” reported the newspaper 'Azg'.