Harut Artin Arakelyan: It is not in Armenia’s interest to lose an ally like Iran and depend on Turkiye

Iran is concerned that Armenia, through diplomatic games with Azerbaijan, is trying to involve Iran in the war and establish the presence of NATO in the region, Expert in Iranian studies Harut Artin Arakelyan told Alpha News.

“The Armenian side tried to convince Iran that Armenia would not become a platform for a war against Iran. But all the steps that we are taking can be said to contradict Iran’s interests. Iran is concerned that Armenia, through its diplomatic games with Azerbaijan, is trying to involve Iran in the war and establish the presence of NATO in the region under the excuse that Iran is doing nothing for Armenia. It gives cause for concern to both Iran and Russia, because the goal of the West is to restrain Iran, Russia and China and strengthen its weakened positions, which will lead to the birth of a new world order,” the expert said.

Arakelyan expressed hope that the Armenian side will listen to Iran, because it is not in Armenia’s interest to lose an ally like Iran and depend on Turkiye, NATO member.

“I don’t think that Turkiye will be able to have neighborly relations with the Armenian people, this is a historical fact,” the expert noted.

Referring to the rumors circulating on Iranian Telegram channels that Iran is amassing troops on the border with Azerbaijan, which, by the way, the Iranian Armed Forces deny, Harut Artin Arakelyan emphasized that this is not new.
He reminded that after the Artsakh war in 2020, Iran did not withdraw its troops and equipment from the occupied southern territories of Artsakh.

“Iran periodically updates the equipment that is deployed there. The Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces regularly visits and inspects military equipment and troops. It is natural that Iran is concerned because there are terrorist groups gathered on the border of Iran, in the occupied southern territories of Artsakh, which could be a bait for Iran in case of an escalation or a war in the region.

It is very natural that Iran is amassing troops now, because it is the hottest spot where Israel is fully deployed. 3 km from the border with Iran, Azerbaijan provides an airport to Israel, and the terrorists are the groups deployed through Israel.

Iran, based on its interests, should amass troops and, if necessary, take action, as it did in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, where the terrorists had similarly intended to attack Iran. Even though Iran was busy with domestic issues, it had shelled those areas for 16 days and had destroyed about 76 terrorist locations. Thus, Iran showed that it is determined to protect its interests in the region. It will also apply to the terrorist groups concentrated in Azerbaijan and in the southern occupied regions of Artsakh,” he said.