Russia and Iran continue to strive for rapprochement, expert says

Lana Ravandi-Fadai, senior researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, commented to Alpha News on Russian-Iranian plans for an energy bridge project involving Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“In terms of geopolitics, this project means that Russia and Iran continue to strive for rapprochement and, of course, do not forget about Baku. The fact is that Russia and Iran also have pitfalls, which are talked about more in Iran than in Russia. Not everything goes smoothly because each side pursues its own interests, and sometimes there is pressure from third countries, which affects these relations. That is why both countries now need each other. Thanks to all these projects, there is an active rapprochement between Russia and Iran.

Last year, Iran and Azerbaijan were in extremely difficult relations, even in January, after the tragedy at the Azerbaijani embassy. We see that there are ups and downs in their relationship. Now both countries are forging their relations. There has been an exchange of visits at the highest level. You can see a desire for reconciliation and equal relations on both sides. And, most likely, the project of the international North-South Corridor also contributed to this. The international North-South transport corridor is extremely important economically,” Lana Ravandi-Fadai said.

“This also means striving for sustainable peace and stability in the South Caucasus. We know that relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan need to be improved. It seems to me that if lasting peace is achieved, then long-term, mutually beneficial economic and energy projects may be achieved as well. I believe Armenia itself will soon be ready to do this because it will also benefit from it,” Lana Ravandi-Fadai concluded.