Exclusive: Armenian deputy FM says no third-party deployment on Iran border
Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan has told Press TV that the possibility of deploying third-party security forces along the Iran–Armenia border is absolutely “out of the question.”
In an exclusive interview with Press TV on Thursday, Kostanyan touched on a peace agreement signed by Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the White House on August 8.
Kostanyan stressed that the Armenian delegation had "decided to take into account all the concerns that Iran has" about the agreement.
The agreement envisions creating a 27-mile “Trump Route” transit corridor, connecting Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave through southern Armenia—an area bordering northern Iran—which will be leased to the United States for 99 years to develop infrastructure.
In reaction to the agreement, Iran has welcomed regional peace, but invariably warned about the repercussions of foreign intervention in the region, stressing that it constantly observes ongoing regional developments as a means of guarding against uncalled-for meddling.
Speaking to Press TV, Kostanyan said, "First of all, in the declaration that we are speaking about, there is a reference to four very key principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, jurisdiction and reciprocity.
"With this, I should say that the concerns that previously both Iran and Armenia had about extraterritorial corridor are fully lifted,” he said.
“The other concern that we heard from the media regarding this opening of communications is the deployment of third party troops along Armenian-Iran borders, which is not the case. We don't anticipate and we don't foresee any security forces being deployed to this connectivity project zone. On the opposite side, it opens quite new opportunities for Iran, because the general agreement is about opening of communications,” the Armenian deputy foreign minister stressed.
Kostanyan also emphasized that with the reciprocal opening of communications between Armenia and Azerbaijan, “this will be conducted for intrastate, bilateral and international trade.”
For decades, Azerbaijan and Armenia were locked in conflict over Karabakh, which, while controlled by ethnic Armenians, was internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan—until Azerbaijani forces swiftly recaptured it in a 24-hour offensive in September 2023.
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