TL;DR: To appease Iran, Russia (for now) has given up on pushing for their version of the so-called “Zangezur” Corridor.
Good if true.
>Russia’s relationship with Iran appears to be back on track after a row connected to the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process threatened to cause a rupture in the budding strategic partnership. It seems that the Kremlin, given its challenges in maintaining its wartime economy, has acceded to Iranian wishes to keep the controversial Zangezur corridor off the regional geopolitical agenda.
>
>A September 17 visit to Tehran by Russia’s Security Council secretary, Sergei Shoigu, who until earlier this year served as defense minister, appears to have smoothed over the relationship.
>
>Iran has fast emerged as a vital partner for Russia, helping the Kremlin get around Western sanctions to maintain the Russian war effort in Ukraine. Reports have circulated of late, vigorously denied by Iran, that Tehran has supplied Russia with ballistic missiles.
>
>Bilateral relations hit a speed bump in early September over differences on the Zangezur corridor, a proposed land route that would link Azerbaijan with its exclave in Nakhchivan through Armenian territory. The Zangezur issue had been a major sticking point in negotiations on an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace deal, until the two sides decided to set the issue aside for resolution at a later date.
>
>That decision angered Russia, which stood to gain a significant role as a security guarantor in the event the Zangezur corridor became a reality. Russia’s angry rhetoric, in turn, riled Iran, which opposes Zangezur because it would block a direct Iranian trade route with Armenia. In addition, the alternative trade route to Zangezur passes through Iranian territory, thus potentially enhancing Iranian influence over regional trade.
>
>On September 5, Iran’s foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, apparently referring to the Russian-Iranian differences warned that “any threat to territorial integrity of our neighbors or redrawing of borders is totally unacceptable and a red line for Iran.”
>
>Behind the scenes, Tehran reportedly threatened to downgrade bilateral relations, as well as halt negotiations on concluding a strategic partnership agreement.
>
>Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, seemed to backtrack from his initial allegations of Armenia blocking the opening of the corridor by acquiescing to the understanding reached between Baku and Yerevan to remove the issue.
>
>Subsequently, both sides engaged in damage control. While Iran’s secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Ahmadian, was in St. Petersburg to participate in a meeting of BRICS member states, he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. A few days later, Shoigu popped up unexpectedly in Tehran, where he met with Ahmadian and delivered Putin’s personal message to the Iranian leadership. The message reportedly affirmed that “Russia’s stance on regional cooperation with Iran has not changed.”
>
>**Russian state-controlled media didn’t provide many details about Shoigu’s discussions in Tehran. But the TASS news agency did note that “special attention was paid to the position of the Islamic Republic on the issue of transportation routes and corridors to/from Azerbaijan.”**
>
>**Iran’s official news agency, IRNA, offered a more direct take. “During his meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Shoigu reviewed the agreements reached between the two countries and reiterated his support for the Islamic Republic of Iran’s policy regarding corridors and transportation routes with the Republic of Azerbaijan.”**
1 Comment
TL;DR: To appease Iran, Russia (for now) has given up on pushing for their version of the so-called “Zangezur” Corridor.
Good if true.
>Russia’s relationship with Iran appears to be back on track after a row connected to the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process threatened to cause a rupture in the budding strategic partnership. It seems that the Kremlin, given its challenges in maintaining its wartime economy, has acceded to Iranian wishes to keep the controversial Zangezur corridor off the regional geopolitical agenda.
>
>A September 17 visit to Tehran by Russia’s Security Council secretary, Sergei Shoigu, who until earlier this year served as defense minister, appears to have smoothed over the relationship.
>
>Iran has fast emerged as a vital partner for Russia, helping the Kremlin get around Western sanctions to maintain the Russian war effort in Ukraine. Reports have circulated of late, vigorously denied by Iran, that Tehran has supplied Russia with ballistic missiles.
>
>Bilateral relations hit a speed bump in early September over differences on the Zangezur corridor, a proposed land route that would link Azerbaijan with its exclave in Nakhchivan through Armenian territory. The Zangezur issue had been a major sticking point in negotiations on an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace deal, until the two sides decided to set the issue aside for resolution at a later date.
>
>That decision angered Russia, which stood to gain a significant role as a security guarantor in the event the Zangezur corridor became a reality. Russia’s angry rhetoric, in turn, riled Iran, which opposes Zangezur because it would block a direct Iranian trade route with Armenia. In addition, the alternative trade route to Zangezur passes through Iranian territory, thus potentially enhancing Iranian influence over regional trade.
>
>On September 5, Iran’s foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, apparently referring to the Russian-Iranian differences warned that “any threat to territorial integrity of our neighbors or redrawing of borders is totally unacceptable and a red line for Iran.”
>
>Behind the scenes, Tehran reportedly threatened to downgrade bilateral relations, as well as halt negotiations on concluding a strategic partnership agreement.
>
>Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, seemed to backtrack from his initial allegations of Armenia blocking the opening of the corridor by acquiescing to the understanding reached between Baku and Yerevan to remove the issue.
>
>Subsequently, both sides engaged in damage control. While Iran’s secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Ahmadian, was in St. Petersburg to participate in a meeting of BRICS member states, he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. A few days later, Shoigu popped up unexpectedly in Tehran, where he met with Ahmadian and delivered Putin’s personal message to the Iranian leadership. The message reportedly affirmed that “Russia’s stance on regional cooperation with Iran has not changed.”
>
>**Russian state-controlled media didn’t provide many details about Shoigu’s discussions in Tehran. But the TASS news agency did note that “special attention was paid to the position of the Islamic Republic on the issue of transportation routes and corridors to/from Azerbaijan.”**
>
>**Iran’s official news agency, IRNA, offered a more direct take. “During his meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Shoigu reviewed the agreements reached between the two countries and reiterated his support for the Islamic Republic of Iran’s policy regarding corridors and transportation routes with the Republic of Azerbaijan.”**