Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has stressed the importance of forging security in the Caucasus, saying it is essential for regional coexistence.
"Security in the Caucasus region is a prerequisite for promoting coexistence and taking steps towards progress in economic fields," IRNA quoted Mottaki as saying at a joint news conference with his Georgian counterpart Grigol Vashadze in Tbilisi on Wednesday.
"Developments in the Caucasus region have great significance for Iran. The Islamic Republic is pursuing the developments sensitively," he added.
Mottaki pointed out that territorial integrity and international laws are the basis of interaction between countries and expressed hope that regional problems would be settled through peaceful means.
The top Iranian diplomat voiced the country's willingness to assist regional states in resolving ongoing crises.
Iran seeks to develop an appropriate strategy for security cooperation in the Caspian Sea, he said, adding, "This issue is also on the agenda for the Black Sea. So, countries between the two regions of the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea can adopt similar measures."
During his two-day visit, Mottaki also reopened an Iranian consulate in Georgia's Black Sea resort of Batumi, closed for 70 years.
The Iranian minister said senior officials of the two countries have a political resolve to reopen the consulate in Batumi.
Mottaki further added that Iran and Georgia have the potential to prepare the ground for transit of goods and transportation between the two countries.
Iran and Georgia have expanded their ties and cooperation in the economic, industrial, and trade sectors in recent years.
Iran says it cannot remain indifferent towards security issues in the Caucasus region and therefore offers its willingness to mediate in any disputes to establish a long-lasting stability and peace in the region.
Iran has offered to mediate between Armenia and Azerbaijan over their territorial disputes. Both Azerbaijan and Armenia claim the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is mainly populated by Armenians but located in Azerbaijan.
Ethnic Armenian forces took control over 16 percent of Azerbaijan during a war with the country in the early 1990s.
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