Armenian PM Admits ‘Tensions’ With Iran

There seems to be a specific concept or egregore being created around Armenia- One that employs religious terminology. One that is presenting Armenia as Christianity being persecuted by Azerbaijan being a Muslim Bogeyman. Don’t believe this presentation. It’s an obfuscation to hide the geopolitical machinations playing out between the Western NATO nations and the Russian/East Asia and China (think the Silk Road) And of course pipeline politics. That is this reality.

Iran has many, many Azerbaijani refugees- They are Shia Muslim, like most in Iran, though they are different people- they share a common religious belief. The Azeri’s ended up in Iran when Armenia cleansed Nagarno Karabakh of it’s Azeri residents (In the early 90’s)

Azeris in Iran

Armenia PM Admits Tension between Iran and Armenia

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian appears to have acknowledged that Armenia’s deepening ties with the European Union and the United States are causing unease in neighboring Iran.

“Our relations with Iran are deep and Armenia remains committed to those relations,” Pashinian said during a weekend visit to Germany. “But this is one of those cases where not everything is clear.”

“Our good relations with Iran are causing tensions in some places, while our good relations with other countries are causing tensions in Iran,” he added without elaborating.

In recent months, Iranian leaders have repeatedly told their Armenian counterparts that Tehran strongly opposes the geopolitical presence of “extra-regional countries” in the South Caucasus.

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi conveyed the same message to Armenia’s Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigorian as recently as on February 15. Any intervention of “outsiders” in regional disputes could only exacerbate, rather than resolve, them, Raisi said in a clear reference to the U.S. and the EU.

This was construed by some Armenian commentators as a fresh warning to Yerevan which has been seeking closer security ties with the Western powers amid its unprecedented tensions with Russia. The latter has openly denounced Western efforts to broker an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace deal, saying that their main aim is to drive Moscow out of the region.

Both Russia and Iran have criticized Armenia for hosting a U.S.-Armenian military exercise last September. The Islamic Republic is also believed to share Russian concerns about the EU’s monitoring mission along Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan launched a year ago.

concerns about the EU’s monitoring mission along Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan launched a year ago.

I want to point this tidbit out for a very specific reason. There are repeated claims regarding clashes at the border. Most often Armenia claims Azerbaijan is initiating these clashes. Azerbaijan doesn’t need to open this can of worms.They emerged victorious in reclaiming their territory. However, Armenia would like to restart this fight, particularly, when one thinks about their increasing cooperation with western powers

Pashinian and his political team say they are “diversifying” Armenia’s traditional foreign and security policy in response to what they see Russia’s failure to meet its security commitments to its South Caucasus ally.

Armenian opposition groups say Tehran’s stance is another reason why Yerevan should exercise caution in its dealings with the West. They argue that unlike the West, Iran could intervene militarily to prevent Azerbaijan from opening an extraterritorial corridor to its Nakhichevan exclave through Syunik, the only Armenian region bordering the Islamic Republic.

Iran regularly warns against attempts to strip it of the common border and transport links with Armenia.

There was some news recently about this corridor.. I’ll relocate it if possible and post it here.