Ayatollah Seyid Hasan Amoli
Russia has played an important role in resolving the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, but this could negatively affect its relations with Turkey. This opinion was expressed by the representative of Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ayatollah Seyid Hasan Amoli in an interview with Lenta.ru correspondent Khayal Muazzin.
According to Seyid Hasan Amoli, Iran has never seen any benefit in the OSCE Minsk Group, which was trying to resolve the situation. In addition, Tehran has long been convincing Baku of the futility of “protracted negotiations”, as a result, the Azerbaijani side began to take active steps and began “liberating its lands.”
Ayatollah stressed that in the end it was possible to stop the bloodshed thanks to the initiative of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, and not the Minsk Group. Thus, the President of the Russian Federation managed to save the Caucasus from “turning into a second Syria”, as well as to stop “provocations” by Western countries – for example, France and the United States.
Seyid Hasan Amoli suggested that in the future Moscow will not allow the de-escalation of the conflict or the intervention of other states. Ayatollah is convinced that Russia will help resolve the Karabakh issue peacefully, and the Iranian side will support it in every possible way.
However, among the negotiators there are also dissatisfied, the Ayatollah believes: for example, some representatives of Azerbaijan and Turkey. “Ankara is against this agreement, although it pretends to support it. Turkey helped Azerbaijan, but could not play an important role in this war, ”Seyid Hasan Amoli said.
On November 9, the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan adopted a statement that provides for the cessation of hostilities and the deployment of Russian peacekeepers along the line of contact and along the Lachin corridor connecting Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. According to the document, the parties to the conflict stop at their positions. Azerbaijan will gain control over the territories of Aghdam, Gazakh, Kelbajar and Lachin regions.
In 1991, Nagorno-Karabakh, the majority of whose population were Armenians, declared independence from Azerbaijan. Baku tried to return the region by force, after which the war began. In 1994, Azerbaijan, Armenia and the unrecognized NKR signed a truce.
