Iran and Russia will minimize Turkey’s presence in region — Vardan Voskanyan

January 18 2025, 14:13

Politics

Today, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty. Alpha News spoke with Iranologist Vardan Voskanyan about this topic.

“There is not enough information yet about the points of the mentioned agreement. It is obvious that—although it will not be documented—the issue of the South Caucasus was discussed before or after the meeting. A new situation has developed in this region, and Turkey’s presence in our region does not meet the interests of either the Russian or Iranian side. But they also take into account their strain on resources: in the case of Iran, this is the Middle East, and in the case of Russia, the war in Ukraine,” the Iranologist noted.

According to the expert, if Russia and Iran do not neutralize Turkey’s presence in our region, then at least they will try to minimize it.

“In essence, they are now trying to position themselves in a reality where Turkey is present in the South Caucasus. However, this does not mean that the parties will accept the Turkish presence and will not make attempts to neutralize or at least minimize it,” Vardan Voskanyan concluded.

According to Russian media, this document will replace the current agreement on the foundations of relations and principles of cooperation between Iran and Russia, signed back in 2001. Since 2022, the parties have been working on developing a new agreement.

Vladimir Putin called the signed agreement a breakthrough for the sustainable development of both countries and the entire region. The Russian president described the talks with the Iranian leader as friendly and constructive and noted that the positions of Moscow and Tehran coincide on most foreign policy issues.