FM: Iran won’t tolerate terrorists near its borders

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said his country will not tolerate the presence of terrorist groups on its borders, in reference to the ongoing war between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“There are no terrorists near the Iranian borders at the present time, but their advancement towards the borders is possible,” the minister said, adding that his country has informed Azerbaijan and Armenia as well as its friends in Russia and Turkey that it will not tolerate the presence of terrorist groups near its borders.

“We are almost certain that terrorist groups will participate in the conflict in Karabakh, and we confirm that their presence will not be in the interest of any party,” Zarif said, adding that it is possible that Israel is “present in the region near the border with Iran”.

Zarif warned that the region’s countries are the biggest losers from the ongoing war in the Karabakh region, and are the most influential and capable of ending it, stressing that Iran’s initiative to resolve the conflict does not compete with the OSCE Minsk group’s efforts.

The Iranian foreign minister pointed out that the Iranian president’s envoy had very good discussions in Baku, Yerevan, Moscow and Ankara during which he put forward Iran’s initiative to resolve the conflict, noting that the Iranian proposal calls for a temporary ceasefire followed by steps to resolve the conflict including declaring the two parties’ commitment to a group of principles followed by the withdrawal of the occupation forces from all occupied areas.

Zarif stressed that Iran’s initiative is based on ensuring the rights of citizens and creating communication channels as well as having the region’s countries monitor the plan’s implementation.

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