Iran focuses on creating peace in the Caucasus region, the Iranian foreign minister said, expressing Tehran's readiness to hold the meeting of three plus three format with the presence of Armenian and Azeri officials.
The South Caucasus region is of high importance to Iran, the Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in his joint presser with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on Monday.
Iran welcomes the convergence between the regional countries and the progress in the peace talks between Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, Amir-Abdollahian said.
Iran focuses on creating peace in the Caucasus region, he said, adding that his recent meeting with Azerbaijan's President Aliyev, his meeting with the Armenian Prime Minister in the past months, and today's meeting with the Armenian Foreign Minister can be considered as Iran's measures to create lasting peace and security in the Caucasus region.
Tehran believes that peace and security among the neighbors are in favor of the common interests of the countries of the region, he said.
The Caucasus region should not be turned into a battle of strife and power competition because it delays peace in the region, he noted, adding that sustainable peace requires a friendly and smooth language between governments and nations.
Stating that some foreign parties seek to exploit some differences in the Caucasus region, he said, "We welcome "three plus three" format, between the countries of the region and Iran declares its readiness to hold this meeting in which Armenia and Azerbaijan also participate."
"Today, we discussed some regional issues and discussed the bilateral relations between Iran and the Republic of Armenia," Amir-Abdollahian said, adding, "We also examined the ways of developing bilateral relations and implementing cooperation projects of both sides."
The trade exchanges of Iran and Armenia are moving to reach the level of 1 billion dollars and good steps have been taken in this regard, he said.
"The two countries have complementary capacities in the field of energy, transportation, and transit, and we believe that we can develop our cooperation in the field of electricity as well," the Iranian top diplomat said.
The main purpose of the Armenian Foreign Minister's visit is to follow up on the agreements between Ayatollah Raeisi and the Prime Minister of Armenia during their last meeting.