Iran and Armenia: First Results of the RA Policy Towards Iran

• 10.21.2015, 11:52
• Liana Hovhannisyan
•  EEU,  Region,  "Insight" Analytical Center ,  World,  Armenia

The Republic of Armenia, unlike a number of other countries in the region, continued being a loyal friend of the Islamic Republic of Iran, when it was isolated by the West being under sanctions. Moreover, after the nuclear deal,  the RA started a policy of a more active initiator towards Iran to maximize mutual interest under the created new conditions. The results of such kind of policy towards Iran is already seen.

The visit of Iranian First Vice President Eshaq Jahangirii to Armenia last week once more proved that developing relations with Armenia is among the priority issues on the country’s agenda. As First Vice President of Iran himself noted, Iran was committed to developing "relations with no limits" with "its friend of hard time" Armenia. 

The statements made during the visit ( mainly focusing on mutual commitment  to boost business connections and investments) as well as the organized events (such as the conference by the participation of 300 businessmen ) showed that deepening economic relations between the two countries  is  going to be at the core of the mutual  agenda of two countries for the upcoming years.

Such kind of field cooperation is important, as it will allow the two countries to put all the efforts to ensure productive cooperation  in that particular sphere.  In this sense it is not excluded that after boosting economic cooperation, Iran and Armenia will focus on military cooperation. Taking into consideration common strategic interests of Armenia and Iran in the region, as well as their common position on a number of issues, cooperation in military sphere will be more than natural.

In case of  Iran and EAEU relations,  Armenia’s active initiative-prone and consistent policy also seems to give awaited results. Judging from the statements made, Iran today considers Armenia as the only reliable route for exporting Iranian good to the EAEU market. In this context Eshaq Jahangirii underlined the importance of North-South transport corridor as well as  the need to construct Armenia-Iran railway, which according to him, will have regional meaning. Such kind of realization already gives enough ground for the sides to undertake serious initiatives on the issue. An example of such kind of joint-initiative can be the organization of donor conference by the participation of the interested donors from the Asian countries.

Concluding, it is important to state that the realization of mutual interest or to put it otherwise the principle of ensuring most favorable conditions for each other lies at the basis of the visit as well as of the statements made during that visit. Both Armenia and Iran agreed to make all the tools they have available for each other.  For example, Armenia demonstrated commitment to ensure the free entry of the Iranian goods to the EAEU market with 170 million consumers, while Iran expressed commitment to ensure the exit of Armenia  to the sea as a landlocked country.

The relations of Armenia and Iran, based on mutual interests, pretends to  become model of not only good neighborly relations but that of between Muslim and Christian countries; the one that is of extreme importance if one takes into consideration present religious tensions in the Middle East.