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Iran specialist Vardan Voskanyan commended Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Mehdi Sobhani’s latest “remarkable” statements backing the safe return of Armenians to their homes in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

“Our position regarding the rights of Karabakh residents is clear,” Sobhani told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service in an exclusive interview on Friday. “We recognize the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and emphasize it, but at the same time we believe that the rights of the Armenian residents of Karabakh should be respected.”

“The issue is like a wound, and that wound must be healed,” he said. “If that wound is not healed it may open again. When we talk about sustainable peace that wound should also be taken into account.”

In a social media post on Saturday, Voskanyan said the Iranian diplomat’s remarks stemmed from Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s statement made in the final period of the 44-day war with Azerbaijan in 2020 which called for ensuring the security of Artsakh’s Armenians.

“Crucially, now it’s Iran that is raising the issue of the Artsakh people's right to safely return to their homeland, which is essential to achieve a durable peace,” Voskanyan wrote.

“We definitely have Iran’s support when it comes to the repatriation of the Artsakh Armenians, which creates an additional opportunity to actively promote the cause," he added.