Political scientist: Armenia should not be interested in strategically weakening Iran
ArmInfo. Given the current geopolitical situation, Armenia cannot be interested in strategically weakening Iran, regardless of the benefits promised by other countries, as stated by Movses Ghazaryan, political scientist and international observer, during a Yerevan-Moscow video conference "The Situation in Iran and the Countries of the South Caucasus."
In this regard, he recalled that Iran has been a reliable partner for Armenia for many years, and the level of these relations can be characterized as a strategic partnership, although serious security cooperation has not been achieved yet. Ghazaryan noted that Iran is of great importance to Armenia, because it is one of its gateways to the world. "While unblocking communications (Trump's route - ed.) is currently being actively discussed, we all understand the price Armenia and the entire Armenian people will have to pay for this. A price that is incomparable to the potential benefits for Armenia," Ghazaryan noted.
Meanwhile, according to the political scientist, collaborating with Iran in the current situation, as well as in the short, medium, and long term, will provide Armenia with the necessary geopolitical space to maneuver and maintain its independence. In this vein, he also recalled that Iran did not support Azerbaijani aggression during the 44-day war in 2020 against the civilian population of Artsakh and opposes Turkish and Azerbaijani claims to Syunik and historical Armenian territories. "Iran is also seen as Turkey's regional rival. Therefore, Armenia and Iran need each other. In the current geopolitical environment, Armenia is not interested in Iran's strategic weakening, regardless of the benefits other players may offer," Ghazaryan emphasized, adding that Armenia should strive to reset and renew relations with Iran.
He also pointed out the potential risks for Armenia amid regional instability, clarifying that Azerbaijan and Turkey could exploit these circumstances. "A potential development of the situation could negatively impact Armenia and increase the level of aggression against it. Therefore, statements by Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Khalil Shirgholami that Armenia does not need Iran's strategic weakening are factual. This is a sort of message for the Armenian ruling party in Yerevan," the expert concluded.