Iran’s envoy to Armenia acknowledges differences with Russia

Iran’s Ambassador to Armenia Mehdi Sobhani has acknowledged the diverging interests of Russia and Iran in the South Caucasus region in an interview with The New York Times.

The article in The New York Times notes that “in the volatile Caucasus region, Russia and Iran, often seen as united in their aims, are vying to secure trade routes and influence.”

“Here in the Caucasus, the mountainous region where Europe meets Asia, Russia and Iran are increasingly seen as rivals, while Western countries are — surprisingly — finding some common cause with Tehran,” the article says.

“We are not allies. We have some differences, and we have some mutual interests. It doesn’t mean that we are allied,” Mehdi Sobhani has told The New York Times. He has reiterated that Iran cannot accept a change of the international border.

When asked what Iran would do in the event of Azerbaijan attacking Armenia, the Ambassador has said, “It will not happen.”

The article mentions that the roads in Armenia’s Syunik province are a key route north from the Persian Gulf and critical for exporting Iranian goods to Russia and to Europe.

“But it is also where Russia and Azerbaijan want to establish an east-west route toward Turkey that would be outside Armenia’s control — a route that Armenians fear Azerbaijan could take by force,” the article says.

Markus Ritter, the head of the EU monitoring mission in Armenia, told The New York Times that the Iranians “are here in the region, the best friends of the Armenians.” While Russia and Azerbaijan bristle at the European presence, he said, Iran seems to accept it. “It’s very complicated here,” he added.