Iran hosts Armenian peace talks

The countries want to discuss regional issues “without interference from extra-regional and Western countries,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry said, an implicit reference to the United States and the European Union, which have been involved in brokering a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the IRNA news agency reported.

Iran, Ukraine and Russia held a peace treaty, Armenia, Azerbaijan, picture 1 — The Nagorno-Karabakh region is now under full control of Azerbaijan following a lightning attack last month. Photo: AFP

Russia's Interfax news agency said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would travel to Tehran for the meeting. Russia is seen as a security guarantor between Azerbaijan and Armenia, but its distraction from the war in Ukraine has weakened its influence.

Azerbaijan last month launched a lightning offensive to regain control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, where ethnic Armenians have enjoyed de facto independence since seceding in the 1990s.

More than 100,000 ethnic Armenians have been forced to flee and Armenia has accused Azerbaijan of carrying out ethnic cleansing - a claim Azerbaijan denies.

The two countries have fought two wars in the past three decades and have yet to reach a peace deal despite long-term efforts by the United States, the European Union and Russia.

The so-called 3+3 South Caucasus Platform, which will be held for the first time in 2021, was expected to include Georgia, but Georgia had previously said it had no plans to join the peace initiative and said on Sunday that it would not go to Tehran.

Mai Anh (according to AFP, SCMP)

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