Iran Rejects Anti-Armenia Language in Statement by Islamic Cooperation of 57 Muslim-Majority Countries

Iran has made it clear that it does not support a controversial part of a recent statement made by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) that appeared to target Armenia.

The OIC is a group of 57 Muslim-majority countries that met in Istanbul and released a document pressuring Armenia to meet Azerbaijan’s demands. But Iran’s Foreign Ministry quickly responded by saying that not all member states agree with every word in the final document.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said that Iran supports peace and stability in the South Caucasus and has friendly relations with both Armenia and Azerbaijan. He emphasized that Iran did not approve of the language used in the OIC statement, especially the mention of “Western Azerbaijani community”—a phrase many Armenians see as a threat to their country’s borders and identity.

Islamic Countries Push Armenia to Give In

At the OIC summit in Istanbul, foreign ministers from dozens of Islamic countries praised what they called progress in Armenia-Azerbaijan peace talks. They welcomed the so-called “Treaty on Peace and the Establishment of Interstate Relations,” first announced in March. But while this may sound like a positive step, the final OIC declaration focused only on Armenia, urging it to remove “obstacles” to Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

These words raised alarms in Armenia and among international observers. Many believe that the OIC’s message was unfair and one-sided, ignoring key facts and history. Critics say the statement pressures Armenia to give up too much, while asking nothing of Azerbaijan in return.

Azerbaijan’s Demands Grow

Azerbaijan continues to demand that Armenia change its constitution to remove all references to Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said such a change would need to go through a public vote, which cannot happen before 2027. This means any progress on that front will take time.

In addition, Azerbaijan wants to completely dissolve the OSCE Minsk Group. This group was created years ago to help mediate peace in Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku says it’s no longer needed. But many Armenians believe that getting rid of the group would erase the only international platform that ever recognized Armenia’s role in the peace process and the special status of Karabakh.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev also continues to say that hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis were expelled from Soviet Armenia in the late 1980s. But official records show that the number was closer to 160,000. At the same time, these claims ignore the fact that many more Armenians were forced out of their homes in Azerbaijan—especially from cities like Baku and Sumgait—during violent attacks and pogroms.

One-Sided Statement Raises Concerns

The OIC statement expressed full support for Azerbaijan and its efforts to rebuild areas affected by the war. It accused Armenia of blocking peace without offering any proof. The statement also failed to mention the suffering of ethnic Armenians, their long history in the region, or their displacement.

Armenia’s Foreign Ministry responded firmly, saying that the statement was biased and harmful to peace. In particular, Armenia objected to the use of the term “Western Azerbaijan,” which is often used by Azerbaijani officials to describe parts of modern-day Armenia. Yerevan said that this term is both historically incorrect and a direct threat to Armenia’s territory.

The Armenian government reminded OIC members that “Western Azerbaijan” is not a real place. They warned that using such words fuels conflict instead of solving it.

Pashinyan in Turkey During OIC Tensions

While all this was happening, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited Istanbul to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The two leaders talked about improving Armenia-Turkey relations and shared their thoughts on the peace process with Azerbaijan.

Pashinyan said Armenia and Turkey are not a threat to each other. This was meant to show goodwill. But the timing of his visit was overshadowed by the OIC statement and Azerbaijan’s increasing demands.

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