GIRAGOSIAN: IRAN’S RELATIONS WITH AZERBAIJAN MORE IMPORTANT

Panorama.am
20:53 21/08/2007

"It is symbolic that right now the president of Iran is visiting
Azerbaijan, while their vice-president is in Yerevan," stated Richard
Giragosian, head of the Washington bureau of Caucasian and Central
Asian issues, while meeting with journalists at the "Friday" club. He
added that while the Iranian president is in Baku discussing energy
and transit issues, the vice-president is in Yerevan talking about
sports, meaning, in his opinion, that Armenia remains isolated from
advancements in the region.

To the question of if it is possible to conclude from all this
that Iran-Azerbaijan relations are more important , he said that
Armenia-Iran relations are in general more secure and stable than
Iran-Azerbaijan relations, but that "The recent Iranian visit to Baku
means that Armenia is placing more importance on relations with Russia,
considering it dangerous to deepen relations with Iran."

According to Giragosian, Azerbaijan is more important to Iran than
Armenia, from the point of view that the Iranians have more areas
to work together with Azerbaijan concerning the benefits they can
receive from the region’s energy networks.