Yesterday, Iran’s first overseas shopping center opened in Yerevan. Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Mehdi Sobhani and Armenian Minister of Economy Gevork Papoyan participated in the opening ceremony.
Oku.AzDoctor of Philosophy in Economics who gave his opinion on the subject Elshan Bagyrzadeh He noted that Iran thought about its own interests even when Azerbaijan’s lands were under occupation:
“If we look at the last 34 years, we can see that economic relations between Armenia and Iran are developing on an upward line, and Tehran is continuously supporting Yerevan. This situation has not changed during the two Karabakh wars, before and after They even strengthened after the Homeland War. For many years, Armenia’s land borders are closed with both Turkey and Azerbaijan. Iran plays the role of economic respite for Armenia.
The scientist pointed out that Iran always wants Armenia to depend on it and mediates between India and official Iran:
“Iran has an active Armenian diaspora, although not as much as in the United States and France. Among the representatives of the diaspora there are wealthy people who illegally invested in Armenia and Karabakh during the occupation. Official Tehran, at the same time, is both intermediary and transit agent in the opening of a trade route between Yerevan and Delhi. A dangerous point for Azerbaijan is the transfer of weapons and military equipment sent from India to Armenia through Iran.
Presidents after the Second Karabakh War Ilham Aliyev and Recep Tayyip Erdogan proposed the “3+3” regional cooperation format. The Tripartite Declaration of November 10 foresees the opening of the Zangezur corridor. Although Baku and Ankara have repeatedly explained at the level of heads of state that the opening of the Zangezur corridor will benefit all neighboring countries, Iran has opposed it and declared the inviolability of the borders as its “red line.” But here we are definitely not talking about a violation of the territorial integrity of Armenia. It seems that Iran is also interested in Armenia remaining dependent on it.
Of course, there are political reasons for the processes that are being carried out. Azerbaijan, in turn, is taking a series of measures to break this support. There is a need to further intensify work in this regard. “In my opinion, it would be more beneficial for Iran to strengthen its relations with Azerbaijan and Türkiye and open the Zangezur corridor, both for itself and for Armenia.”
Sohrab Ismail
