The War the World Forgot: Iran Hosts Summit Aimed at Resolving Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
The foreign ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia, and Turkey pose for a group photo at the 3+3 Regional Platform summit in Tehran (photo courtesy of Russian Foreign Ministry and Reuters)
By Robert W. Moore III
The foreign ministers of Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Russia, and Turkey attended a summit of the 3+3 Regional Platform in Iranian capital Tehran on October 23 with the goal of resolving the outstanding conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the contested breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Reuters reports.
Azerbaijan’s armed seizure of the disputed territory on September 19-20 occurred in the midst of rising tensions in the Middle East. It initially prompted increased fears of ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity in the region, according to Reuters. However, following the summit in Tehran, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov declared that the conflict over the enclave had been resolved. A formal peace treaty has yet to be signed.
According to Lavrov, “both sides agree that Karabakh belongs to Azerbaijan and that was the main issue to be settled,” but “practical steps remain for a full normalization of relations, particularly preparations for a peace treaty, the demarcation of borders, and the establishment of economic transport links without impediments.”
According to Iran International Law, Lavrov’s pronouncements accompanied similar statements from the leaders attending from Iran and Turkey. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian characterized the meeting as a “historic opportunity” and a “time for peace and cooperation.” He also indirectly criticized the United States and the European Union (EU) for previous efforts to mediate the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, remarking that “the presence of outsiders in the region will not only not solve any problems but will also complicate the situation further.”
Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan expressed in a post on the social media platform X his hope that the talks would “give impetus to normalization and peace processes,” Iran International Law quoted.
Notably, the United States and its European allies have not commented extensively on the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia since the seizure of Nagorno-Karabakh, Reuters reported. French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu released a communiqué stating that France would continue to provide Armenia with military radar and anti-air missiles irrespective of the events in Tehran and in the enclave itself.
After the collapse of the USSR during the early 1990s, Armenia and Azerbaijan (both former Soviet republics) continuously disputed the territorial status of Nagorno-Karabakh, which was controlled by ethnic Armenians despite being recognized as part of Azerbaijan by most of the international community. Two wars have manifested over the enclave, and the occupation of the region by the Azerbaijani military resulted in the flight of most of its 120,000 Armenian Christian residents. Azerbaijan has said that these individuals are free to return, but some international observers remain concerned that they could eventually become the victims of human rights violations.
Traditionally, Armenia has received backing from Iran in the conflict, Iran International Law reported. Prior to the Azerbaijani offensive, Tehran issued several warnings to Baku to refrain from attacking so as not to close Iran’s so-called “gateway to Europe,” a land corridor connecting Iran to Russia via Armenia. Russia, on the other hand, has cast itself as the security guarantor of both Azerbaijan and Armenia, yet the War in Ukraine has caused it to substantially reduce its engagement in the South Caucasus as a whole.
According to Reuters, following the summit’s conclusion, regional attention has shifted from Nagorno-Karabakh to the ethnically Azerbaijani enclave of Nakhichevan, which borders Turkey and is separated by Armenian and Iranian territory from the rest of Azerbaijan. Seeking to quell Armenian fears of a resumption of hostilities, Hikmet Hajiyev, a foreign policy advisor to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, assured reporters on October 25 that Azerbaijan had no intention of seizing the Zangezur land bridge from Yerevan. He instead suggested that Baku would seek to gain territorial concessions from Tehran to fulfill its objectives.
Nevertheless, tensions remain high, and a meeting between President Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan scheduled to occur in Brussels in late October was postponed indefinitely pending further updates from EU officials about its status. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has made clear his continued willingness to meet with his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov, though it is unclear if such talks will take place in the foreseeable future..