ArmInfo. Iran's mediation in the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict is not on the agenda, Bahram Qasemi, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, told a news conference on Monday, APA's correspondent reported from Tehran.
No other country can play a positive role in the Karabakh conflict as Iran, said the spokesman, noting that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Iran played an important role of mediator in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"We have achieved the first ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh. It was a great success, but didn't last long due to provocation of some countries," APA cites the official. Qasemi said that not the mediation issue, but bilateral relations will be discussed during Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's upcoming visit to Armenia. "As I know the issue of mediation isn't on agenda. I hope for a fair solution to the conflict that poses a threat to regional security," he added.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict broke out on February 28 1988 in the Azerbaijani Sumgait with massacre of Armenians as a peculiar response of Azerbaijanis to the peaceful demand of the Nagorno-Karabakh autonomous Region, part of the Azerbaijani SSR, to unite with the Armenian SSR. This resulted in other pogroms of Armenians in Baku, Kirovabad and other regions of Azerbaijan populated with Armenians. In 1991 Azerbaijan unleashed war against peaceful populations of Nagorno-Karabakh, expulsing ethnic Armenians from the territory of Azerbaijan. Dozens of thousands of peaceful residents on both parties were killed in the military actions, and hundreds of thousands were left homeless and have become refugees. In 1994 in Bishkek in mediation of the OSCE MG, the NKR, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a Protocol on Ceasefire that is observed more or less so far. Since 1992 the OSCE Minsk Group represented by co- chairs from Russia, U.S. and France has been mediating in resolution of the conflict unleashed by Azerbaijan in 1988. The recent flared up of the conflict (April 2-5) when Azerbaijan unleashed an aggression against Nagorno Karabakh was stopped with mediation of the foreign powers. Diplomatic efforts have been launched towards observation of the ceasefire and possible re-launching of the peace talks.