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IRAN IS QUITE A SELF-SUFFICIENT COUNTRY: SHE DOESN'T NEED TO INFRINGE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE ARMENIAN COMMUNITY
Karine Ter-Sahakyan
PanARMENIAN.Net
October 5, 2010
Despite the president and nuclear program "out of favour" with the
West, it is disadvantageous for the United States to have a conflict
with Iran, since she ranks second in the world by her oil and gas
reserves.
For Armenia, Iran is more than a neighbor and simply a friendly
country. For the past 20 years Iran has been if not a faithful ally,
then at least a predictable partner. And under these circumstances
the political system or religious affiliation is not at all important.
Unlike Georgia, Iran has taken a neutral, in certain cases even fair,
attitude towards Armenia.
One circumstance must be taken into account here. The stumbling block
and source of instability in the region has always been Azerbaijan.
This country has requirements for all countries in the region,
including Turkey. It is true that claims on Turkey are of purely moral
quality: constant requests for support and assistance in resolving
the Karabakh conflict have put Turkey in a very awkward position. But
this is just, in passing.
In the relations Armenia-Iran it occurred as in the well-known proverb
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend". Frankly speaking, the situation
is not very good, but it is better than nothing. It is worth noting
that for several years now Tehran has been trying to join in the
regulation process of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Naturally,
she will not succeed, as she won't be let into the negotiation
process for fear of turning it into a "showdown" between Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Iran. Besides one cannot disregard the fact that Iran,
to some extent, is considered a pariah state and all her initiatives
are shattered by the disapproval of the international community of the
country that is remarkably consistent in her determination to bring its
nuclear program to its logical conclusion. But the same international
community, in relation to the embargo on trade and cooperation with
Iran, acts selectively. As we know, there are a number of American
companies successfully cooperating with Iran. It is idisputable that
the U.S. government knows about it, but it prefers to turn a blind eye
to it. Despite the "out of favour" president and the nuclear program,
it is disadvantageous for the United States to have a conflict with
Iran, since she ranks second in the world by oil and gas reserves.
But let us revert to the Armenian-Iranian relations. They are, in
general, normal and tend to improve, which is important for Armenia,
located in a shipping deadlock. As recent developments show, Georgia
does not behave in the best possible way, playing on the nerves and
permanently closing the checkpoint Upper Lars. Roughly speaking,
Georgia behaves worse than Baku, but it is inexplicable Armenia
does not share a conflict like Karabakh with Georgia. However,
the authorities of this country are doing their best to make sure
the situation in Javakhk gets out of control. It will not happen
tomorrow, nor the day after it, but it certainly will one day, if,
when in Yerevan, the Foreign Minister of Georgia makes statements like
"Javakhk is not on the map of Georgia". And the Foreign Ministry of
Armenia will be silent, since it is in impasse. In a word, Georgia
behaves like a little kid, who was allowed to indulge, and so she
indulges herself. But we shall hope that she won't get away with it
very long.
In this regard, Iran is quite a self-sufficient country, which doesn't
need to infringe on the rights of the Armenian community. Moreover,
Armenians are the only religious minority in this country, who, by
the constitution, have their representatives in parliament. Recall
the history we can say that the Persian Empire always took Armenians
from the conquered territories, resettled them and forced to work
for the empire. Let us agree that it is much better than slaughter...
In this regard, we recall the words of Iranian Foreign Minister
Manouchehr Mottaki, who said that in its foreign policy Iran attaches
great importance to developing relations with neighboring states,
and in this context, Armenia occupies a special place. Hopefully,
it will be so in the foreseeable future.
From: A. Papazian
Karine Ter-Sahakyan
PanARMENIAN.Net
October 5, 2010
Despite the president and nuclear program "out of favour" with the
West, it is disadvantageous for the United States to have a conflict
with Iran, since she ranks second in the world by her oil and gas
reserves.
For Armenia, Iran is more than a neighbor and simply a friendly
country. For the past 20 years Iran has been if not a faithful ally,
then at least a predictable partner. And under these circumstances
the political system or religious affiliation is not at all important.
Unlike Georgia, Iran has taken a neutral, in certain cases even fair,
attitude towards Armenia.
One circumstance must be taken into account here. The stumbling block
and source of instability in the region has always been Azerbaijan.
This country has requirements for all countries in the region,
including Turkey. It is true that claims on Turkey are of purely moral
quality: constant requests for support and assistance in resolving
the Karabakh conflict have put Turkey in a very awkward position. But
this is just, in passing.
In the relations Armenia-Iran it occurred as in the well-known proverb
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend". Frankly speaking, the situation
is not very good, but it is better than nothing. It is worth noting
that for several years now Tehran has been trying to join in the
regulation process of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Naturally,
she will not succeed, as she won't be let into the negotiation
process for fear of turning it into a "showdown" between Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Iran. Besides one cannot disregard the fact that Iran,
to some extent, is considered a pariah state and all her initiatives
are shattered by the disapproval of the international community of the
country that is remarkably consistent in her determination to bring its
nuclear program to its logical conclusion. But the same international
community, in relation to the embargo on trade and cooperation with
Iran, acts selectively. As we know, there are a number of American
companies successfully cooperating with Iran. It is idisputable that
the U.S. government knows about it, but it prefers to turn a blind eye
to it. Despite the "out of favour" president and the nuclear program,
it is disadvantageous for the United States to have a conflict with
Iran, since she ranks second in the world by oil and gas reserves.
But let us revert to the Armenian-Iranian relations. They are, in
general, normal and tend to improve, which is important for Armenia,
located in a shipping deadlock. As recent developments show, Georgia
does not behave in the best possible way, playing on the nerves and
permanently closing the checkpoint Upper Lars. Roughly speaking,
Georgia behaves worse than Baku, but it is inexplicable Armenia
does not share a conflict like Karabakh with Georgia. However,
the authorities of this country are doing their best to make sure
the situation in Javakhk gets out of control. It will not happen
tomorrow, nor the day after it, but it certainly will one day, if,
when in Yerevan, the Foreign Minister of Georgia makes statements like
"Javakhk is not on the map of Georgia". And the Foreign Ministry of
Armenia will be silent, since it is in impasse. In a word, Georgia
behaves like a little kid, who was allowed to indulge, and so she
indulges herself. But we shall hope that she won't get away with it
very long.
In this regard, Iran is quite a self-sufficient country, which doesn't
need to infringe on the rights of the Armenian community. Moreover,
Armenians are the only religious minority in this country, who, by
the constitution, have their representatives in parliament. Recall
the history we can say that the Persian Empire always took Armenians
from the conquered territories, resettled them and forced to work
for the empire. Let us agree that it is much better than slaughter...
In this regard, we recall the words of Iranian Foreign Minister
Manouchehr Mottaki, who said that in its foreign policy Iran attaches
great importance to developing relations with neighboring states,
and in this context, Armenia occupies a special place. Hopefully,
it will be so in the foreseeable future.
From: A. Papazian