ArmInfo.The situation in Aleppo and in northern Iraq should be in the focus of attention of the Armenian authorities, Caucasus Institute Director Alexander Iskandaryan said at today's press conference in Yerevan.
"What is going on in Syria and Iraq is interesting and important and will predetermine the future of Armenia. It matters to us, because Turkey is a direct player in these processes and one will have to take its opinion into account when resolving problems. We will have an absolutely different region, because Syria has turned into another Afghanistan and we will have to wait for settlement of the situation in Syria for a long time," he said.
When commenting on the statement made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Turkey entered Syria to contribute to overthrow of Assad's regime, the export noted that the Turkish authorities have already spoken about it, but not overtly. "I am convinced that such statements pursue domestic political goals. The opinion that Ankara did not pursue its own interests when getting involved in the Syrian crisis is simply ridiculous, because it is no secret that Turkey has its own interests there," he said.
He expressed regret that Armenia does not psychologically live where it is located geographically. "We thinks that we are closer to Moscow or Europe than Aleppo. This is not so, unfortunately. We should keep a close watch on the developments there and the reason is not only the presence of a large Armenian community there," he said.