Against the backdrop of clashes in Iraq, the Iranian president met with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hossein, stressing that the Iranian-Saudi negotiations are helpful for the region's security.
In a conversation with Radar Armenia, Arab expert Sargis Grigoryan noted that the situation in Iraq poses security risks in the region, as the South Caucasus and the Middle East are neighboring regions, and any turmoil affects the adjacent areas.
"The processes taking place in Iraq are directly or indirectly related to Iran. For a long time, Iran has connected its geopolitical interests with Iraq. Still, the processes taking place here, even those that are beyond Iran's calculations, are not in Iran's interests," Grigoryan adds that this is how Iran gets involved in the ongoing processes in Iraq.
According to Grigoryan, since Iran has its role in the region and is also interested in the South Caucasus, the Iraqi processes prove that Iran is also interested in what is with Iraq. Iran has been connecting its geopolitical interests with Iraq for a long time. Still, the processes taking place here, even those beyond Iran's calculations, are not in Iran's interests, what is happening on its western border. "One of the predictable actors in the region is Iran, but since it is also involved in Iraqi processes, certain problems arise in Iran's behavior related to sensitivity. We need a stable Iran, but the processes around it are deviating from that plan."
According to him, this affects Iran's role in the South Caucasus.
Grigoryan does not rule out that Armenia's neighbor Azerbaijan can take advantage of the fact that Turkey is also involved in the Iraqi processes and can create security problems for Armenia. "It is clear that processes are taking place in the region, and any country wants to play a role in them and serve its interests. Of course, Azerbaijan can take advantage of this. What's more, its neighbor Iran is already, based on the circumstances mentioned above, somewhat preoccupied with these problems as well."
The Arabic expert reminded us that the north of Iran, where many Turkic-speaking Azerbaijanis live, is at the center of the geopolitical aspirations of both Turkey and Azerbaijan. "Therefore, they can additionally influence the behavior of the Turkic-speaking parts of the northern regions of Iran. In addition, they can also have their calculations related to the Karabakh problem, post-war realities in the region and try to implement them under those conditions."
Hayk Magoyan
