Iran-Armenia: Geopolitics no impediment to mutually beneficial partnership

Analysis | 13.05.11 | 15:58
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By Naira Hayrumyan
ArmeniaNow correspondent

Diplomats call Iran’s position in the Karabakh conflict a balancing
act. The Islamic Republic that has in its northern parts a 20-million
community of Turkic-speaking Shia Azeris with separatists tendencies
has managed to maintain good relations with Christian Armenia as well.

A recent statement by a representative of the Iranian spiritual leader
Ayatollah Khamenei in Ardebil, however, has somewhat marred the
relations between the two neighboring states. Friday prayer imam
Seyyid Hasan Ameli stated Iran helped Azerbaijan during the Karabakh
war.

`So far politicians in Iran have not spoken about their aid [to
Azerbaijan] and, possibly, because of certain diplomatic
considerations will never raise these issues in the future. But not
me. I am a Friday prayer imam and, speaking from the podium, I must
answer questions and suspicions of Muslim brothers. We were supplying
arms by convoys to soldiers who fought for Shusha and experienced
shortages of weapons. With the consent of the government and at the
request of Rahim Gaziyev (Azerbaijan’s defense minister in 1992-93) a
common Azerbaijani-Iranian defense staff had been set up and as part
of that staff Tabriz and Ardebil generals were helping their Azeri
brethren, day and night, doing everything possible to preclude
Armenian aggression,’ the senior Iranian cleric claimed.

According to Ayatollah Ameli, Iran also provided logistical support in
the delivery, if necessary to the front lines, of thousands of
fighters from Afghanistan. `We were supplying arms and ammunition not
to Armenians, but to our Azeri brothers. Our military training bases
were located not in Armenia, but in Azerbaijan,’ the imam said,
according to SalamNews.

Armenia’s reaction to the statement was rather reserved. Speaking in
the Armenian parliament Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan confirmed the
statement made by the Iranian spiritual leader that Afghan gunmen were
fighting on the Azerbaijani side during the Karabakh war. `At a
certain period Afghan fighters were indeed on the territory of the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic,’ said Ohanyan.

Meanwhile, Armenian Ambassador to Iran Grigor Arakelyan described
Iran’s mediation in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict as useful,
according to Iranian news agency ISNA. `Over the past 20 years Iran
has proved its honesty and friendly attitude towards Armenia,’ the
diplomat said during a recent discussion in Tehran on topics of
regional policy and Karabakh settlement.

And the Armenian press reminds that Iran is the only neighbor of the
current Karabakh conflict zone and contends that during the Karabakh
war it was Iran that ensured Armenia’s food security.

At present, the relations between Armenia and Iran are on the rise:
Armenia is locked by neighboring Turkey and Azerbaijan, and its only
gateways to the rest of the world are Georgia and Iran. Armenia has a
narrow 40-kilometer border strip with Iran in the south, while
Karabakh, which is a bone of contention between Armenia and
Azerbaijan, has a lengthier border with the Islamic Republic – nearly
140 kilometers.

NATO and U.S. forces are stationed in virtually all countries that
border on Iran, except for Armenia and Karabakh. This circumstance is
very important to Iran, which tries to funnel its efforts into
ensuring that the Karabakh conflict zone remains free from foreign
peacekeeping troops. Iran has repeatedly made strongly worded
statements in this regard.

Muslim solidarity is part of Iran’s politics, but on the other hand in
Tehran they realize the potential threat from Azerbaijan, which vows
fraternal relations with Sunni-dominated, secular Turkey that seeks
leadership in the Islamic world.