Ter-Petrosian’s spokesman, Arman Musinian, said that during the 90-minute meeting held at his private residence, he discussed with Ambassador Mehdi Sobhani “the current state of Armenian-Iranian relations and prospects for their deepening”
“The President expressed his admiration for the extremely informative press conference that the Ambassador recently convened,” Musinian wrote on Facebook. He did not give further details.
Speaking at the February 6 news conference in Yerevan, Sobhani said the extraterritorial corridor to Azerbaijan’s Nakhichevan exclave demanded by Baku would be bad for both Armenia and Iran. “Only Iran supports Armenia, opposing the so-called ‘Zangezur corridor,’” he said.
“The Zangezur issue is linked to our security. We are steadfast in protecting the national security of our country,” added Sobhani.
The envoy echoed statements regularly made by top Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The land corridor demanded by Baku would pass through Syunik, the only Armenian region bordering Iran. The Islamic Republic fears that the corridor would strip it of its common border with Armenia.
Ter-Petrosian and his Armenian National Congress (HAK) party have been very critical of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s handling of the conflict with Armenia. They say that Pashinian’s continued rule is fraught with further severe consequences for the country.
The 80-year-old ex-president, who had led Armenia to independence from the Soviet Union, has rarely made public appearances in recent years. But he has continued to periodically receive Western, Russian and other foreign diplomats.