Even if Iran makes a breakthrough in its nuclear talks with the West, it will hardly review its relations with the South Caucasus nations, Deputy Director of the Caucasus Institute Sergey Minasyan told ArmInfo on Thursday.
"On the other hand, if the West lifts its sanctions against Iran, that country may start expanding its influence over the South Caucasus. The Iranians have always said that in case of reconciliation with the West, they are ready to enlarge contacts with neighbors. So, if this happens, they may increase their economic and geopolitical involvement in the South Caucasus," Minasyan said.
On the other hand, the South Caucasus is a threat for Iran's security. "The key threats are the presence of a Turkic population in Iran's northwest, the Azeri-Turkish irredentism policy, the growing regional rivalry with Turkey, NATO and Russia, the use of territories in the South Caucasus for possible anti-Iranian operations and, of course, the Caspian oil and gas and the pipelines used for its transportation. Some 200 years ago the key rivals in the South Caucasus for Iran were Turkey and Russia but today the EU and the US are also there. So, today Iran's relations with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia depend on how they will interact with those players," Minasyan said.