According to Iranologist Emma Begijanyan, the statement made by the spiritual leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the meetings held in Tehran with the presidents of Russia and Turkey, that Iran will not tolerate the closing of the Iran-Armenia border, that the Iran-Armenia border is a thousand-year-old communication route, primarily stems from Iran’s security.
According to Aravot’s observation, there are opinions that Armenia has weakened so much that after this statement, there is an impression that Armenia is waiting for the so-called mercy of the head of this or that country. In response to this statement and to the question of what weight this holds in the end, Emma Begijanyan answered, “We have common interests in this region only with Iran. Armenia should cooperate with Iran whether we want to or not and whether the USA and Europe will like it or not. It is not necessary to take all of that into account.”
Speaking specifically about Ali Khamenei’s latest statement, the Iranian expert reminded that Iran has stated during any meeting that Iran is against such a corridor. “Furthermore, Iran proposed another corridor option. But Turkey and Azerbaijan say we want this and that. They want to bypass Iran, and if that happens, the most reliable way for Iran is to Europe, Asia, and Armenia, with which it has no problem.
Therefore, Iran, regardless of whether it is in a difficult economic situation, is very sensitive to its national interests, and this statement is not a mercy statement, but they are protecting their national interests. How much Armenia will cooperate, this is the other side of the issue. They are working for their national interest. Now Armenians should take advantage of this opportunity and cooperate closely with Iran in all fields, especially this one.”
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According to Emma Begijanyan, now is a very good time to strengthen relations with Iran. She said that there are elections in Turkey next year, and Erdogan’s rating has dropped below 30 percent. “Erdogan has now put two questions in front of him: open the Zangezur corridor, normalize relations with Armenians and solve the Kurdish issue. These are the two issues facing Turkey. By solving these issues, Erdogan can have a serious trump card in the elections. This is also the reason for the pressure on Armenia. And Iran is studying the situation much more deeply, the President of Iran, the Foreign Minister and all other levels are announcing that there should not be such a corridor. And this is already the highest level. These are the words of the military-political and spiritual leader of the country.” We asked, recalling the thousand-year road, was this a warning from Iran to Azerbaijan that it should not have big ambitions and that Syunik is perceived as an inseparable part of RA.
Emma Begijanyan answered, “Yes, it’s just a warning. Cavusoglu announced in Tehran that we are one nation, two states. Therefore, Iran warned Turkey that we are against the attack on Syria in the north of Syria and warned that the Iran-Armenia border is a thousand-year-old communication route. It had never made such a drastic statement, although Iran also said in one sentence: “We are satisfied that Azerbaijan has liberated its unquoted occupied territories, but the border should not be closed.”
We asked Emma Begijanyan what the RA’s steps should be, she answered, “There is pressure on us from both sides, but we also have a powerful regional state on our side, with which our interests coincide. We should start cooperating with Iran on that issue. The authorities of Armenia also say that this is a lifting of the blockade, and these statements alone do not inspire confidence in Iran. I don’t know what they say in the negotiations, but the only thing for Armenia is cooperation with Iran in these issues. Now the situation is also favorable, because the relations between Russia and Iran have become closer.”
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
