Iranian Ambassador on Lachin Corridor closure: "Negotiating table is  best way to solve problem"

ArmInfo. Iran has always focused on territorial integrity and respect for internationally  recognized borders. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of  the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) to the Republic of Armenia  Ambassador Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri, stated this at the request of  journalists to present the position of the Islamic Republic of Iran  regarding the blockade of Artsakh on the sidelines of the conference  on the topic: "Centuries-old historical and cultural ties as a  guarantee of inseparable Armenian-Iranian friendship." 

In this regard, the diplomat stressed that Iran has always presented  its position regarding the ongoing developments in the Caucasus  region, which has always been clear.

"The importance of humanitarian issues was repeatedly emphasized and  much attention was paid to them," he said, noting that in the context  of the situation with the closure of the Lachin corridor, the Iranian  side has repeatedly raised an issue related to the humanitarian  situation. The Iranian diplomat said that it is the humanitarian  issues that should be a priority during every step in the region.

Ambassador Zohouri stressed that the best solution to any problem can  always be found at the negotiating table. In this case, according to  him, attention is drawn to humanitarian issues, and the issue of  citizens' health is of primary importance. "We hope that the  situation will be resolved as soon as possible and everything will go  back to normal," he concluded.

On December 12 at 10:30 am a group of Azerbaijanis in civilian  clothes blocked the Stepanakert-Goris highway, again "for  environmental reasons." Armenian telegram channels have already  identified employees of the special services of Azerbaijan among the  so-called ecologists. The Azerbaijanis are behaving loosely, trying  to provoke Russian peacekeepers, and have set up a tent on the only  road linking Artsakh with Armenia. The road remains closed to this  day. The so-called Azerbaijani environmentalists, who were lit up in  the photo with a demonstration of the symbol of Turkish "Gray Wolves"  ultranationalists, said that they would remain on the road until the  head of the peacekeeping contingent, Andrei Volkov, arrived. In  addition, from the evening of December 13, Azerbaijan also shut off  the valve of the gas pipeline through which gas is supplied to the  population of Nagorno-Karabakh. The gas supply was restored three  days later. It is noteworthy that the Azerbaijanis who blocked the  Stepanakert-Goris highway changed their demands, and now they demand  the control and activities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and  the State Security Service of Azerbaijan throughout the territory of  the Republic of Artsakh.  We add that the first provocations by the  so-called environmentalists began on December 3 with the blocking of  the Berdzor (Lachin) corridor connecting Artsakh with Armenia.