Azerbaijan, Baku, Aug. 26 / Trend T.Jafarov /
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan received Iran's Ambassador to Yerevan Seyed Ali Saghaian, ISNA reported.
Sargsyan expressed gratitude for Tehran's balanced position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Saghaian said the most acceptable way would be resolution of the Karabakh conflict within the framework of cooperation among the regional countries. He noted that Iran supports the peaceful settlement of the conflict.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Discussing trade and economic cooperation, Sargsyan expressed satisfaction with the growth of mutual trade and called for its further increase.
Saghaian said the trade turnover between Iran and Armenia grew by 30 percent in the first half of 2011 compared to the same period of 2011.