Azerbaijan and Turkey are gradually moving closer to the realization of the Zangezur Highway project, which is of regional and global importance.
Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safaryan told reporters in parliament that it is not ruled out to provide security for the transport link between Azerbaijan and Armenia to a foreign private security company.
It should be recalled that recently the Prime Minister of the country Nikol Pashinyan mentioned the possibility that the protection of the communication line could be entrusted to one of the foreign private security agencies. According to him, this does not violate Armenia’s sovereignty.
The Iravan official had more mysteries regarding the opening of the Zangezur highway. Initially, various excuses were given for not fulfilling the relevant requirement of the tripartite declaration signed on November 10, 2020. Then, the issue of the withdrawal of Russian military personnel and border guards from Armenia was brought to the fore through protest actions and the language of individual politicians and public representatives. In addition, the Iranian official claimed that the November declaration had already expired.
The Prime Minister recently said that they want to resolve all controversial issues with Azerbaijan through direct discussion.
The message of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in response to this statement: “For God’s sake, go and talk” can be considered a green light for the opening of the Zangezur highway.
However, the question of inviting a foreign private company to provide protection raises questions from the point of view of regional security. Which country will this security agency represent? How will the regulations governing its activity be formulated? Will the interests of Azerbaijan and other neighbours be taken into account in the operation of this security service?
It can be assumed that Armenia is attracting a new force or a new military force to its country and the South Caucasus under the name of a security agency. Or its traditional ally France will be the leader in this matter. Official Iravan said that once the borders with Azerbaijan are determined, the EU civilian observation mission will end. This 300-person mission was introduced into the region without Azerbaijan’s consent. So far, Armenia has not spoken out about the violation of the ceasefire on the border and the provocations it has provoked. The observers mainly defended Armenia’s interests.
From this point of view, it can be assumed that the mission or team formed by the citizens of the countries represented there will protect the Zangezur Highway under the name of a private security service.
It is also possible that the security service represents the United States. Unknown military shipments sent from the United States to Yerevan in recent months may be intended for the protection of the Zangezur highway.
Because both the United States and France want Russia to leave Armenia.
Thus, Nikol Pashinyan may bring a foreign force into the region under the name of a “private security service” to suppress Russia. In this case, it is considered appropriate to take into account the interests of the countries of the region. It is not known whether the agency will engage in activities that could threaten the security of neighboring states. Because the actions of the European Union Civilian Citizen Mission caused this doubt.
It turns out that Armenia will not replace Russian border guards with its own soldiers, but with foreign service, in accordance with Article 9 of the November 10 declaration.
In this case, Iran is the most concerned about the situation, because Tehran’s attitude towards the United States is well known. Iranian officials are opposed to the opening of this road without consulting the foreign security service.
Heshmetullah Falahatpishe, a former member of the National Security Commission of the Iranian Parliament, called the realization of this idea a “friendship trap.” He said that Iran has sacrificed its interests related to the Comprehensive Agreement to Russia’s interests in Ukraine. Heshmetullah Falahatpishe said that Russia is closing the road to Iran by agreeing to open the Zangezur highway. According to his statement, former President Ibrahim Raisi sacrificed the interests of Iran’s nuclear deal to Russia’s interests in Ukraine: “The current government should not repeat this mistake and fall into the trap of one-sided friendship with Moscow…”
The speeches of the Yerevan officials reveal the true meaning of Iran’s discontent. It turns out that Russia refuses to control the highway mentioned in the well-known statement and agrees to replace it with a private service. For this reason, in Iran, they accuse Moscow of putting them in a “friendship trap.”
Under these circumstances, Iran is not only deprived of the opportunity to control and use the Zangezur highway, but even indirectly it will not even be able to look at this corridor. In that case, Iran can only hear the sound of trains running on the Zangezur highway. Tehran is more concerned about the highway being controlled by the West than about the connection with Armenia being cut off. How will Tehran defend the “red line” of Armenia’s territorial integrity if the agency starts operating? Yerevan officials say that the service does not violate its sovereignty.
If a foreign agency comes to monitor the road, Tehran will have to wage its “red line” war with Yerevan and Moscow. In any case, the Iran-Russia conflict is the priority. Moscow sacrifices Tehran for its interests. A few years ago, a member of the Iranian parliament claimed that its historical enemy is Russia: “This country has always betrayed us. Iran’s traditional friend is the British…”
Information Agency “Report”
