Iran: Oppose participation from countries outside the region!
According to the Russian Sputnik News Agency on September 10, Hamid Abdalabi, the Iranian Vice President in charge of political affairs, said that the Iranian President Ibrahim Lehi opposed the participation of non South Caucasian countries in mediating the conflict in the South Caucasus, except for the "3+3" model talks in which Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Türkiye participated, when talking on the phone with Armenian Prime Minister Nicole Pashniyan.
It is reported that the Armenian government announced on September 9 that Armenian Prime Minister Pashniyan discussed the tense border situation between Armenia and Azerbaijan with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, French President Makron, German Prime Minister Schultz and Iranian President Leahy.
According to reports, the Armenian Defense Minister stated on September 8th that the current border situation remains tense as Azerbaijan is gathering troops. The Azerbaijani Minister of Defense stated that the message sent by Armenia is misleading to the international community and completely inconsistent with the facts.
"During a phone conversation with the Armenian Prime Minister regarding the situation in the South Caucasus, the Iranian President stated that firstly, Iran believes that any geopolitical changes and any border changes in the South Caucasus are a red line. Secondly, in addition to the '3+3' model of talks, cooperation with other countries, joint exercises, suspicious visits and meetings will only make the situation in the South Caucasus more difficult. Thirdly, Iran is prepared to help the conflicting parties resolve issues within the region."
It is reported that President Erdogan of Türkiye, at the initiative of President Aliyev of Azerbaijan, proposed to establish the "Six Party Talks" on the Nagorno Karabakh issue. Russia and Iran welcome this proposal. At present, Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Türkiye and Iran all participate in the "3+3" model talks, but Georgia refuses to participate and proposes to hold trilateral talks with Azerbaijan and Armenia.
According to previous reports from Reuters, the Armenian Ministry of Defense announced on September 6th that it will hold a joint military exercise with the United States from September 11th to 20th, codenamed "Eagle Partners 2023".
Reuters reported that Armenia's move may anger Russia.