Radar Armenia‘s interlocutor is international affairs expert Shahan Gandaharian.
– How do you interpret the visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Iran and Turkey?
– The visit of the Moscow representative to Tehran and Ankara hints at the second component group of the 3+3. There is a clear tendency to coordinate regional issues between the central powers. The relations between these three are not always smooth. On the one hand, Moscow has started a dialogue with the United States; on the other hand, it is trying to maintain normal relations with other bordering powers. And through the Armenian lens, it will work with the mentioned states to reactivate point 9 of the November statement.
– What impact will these visits have on the region?
I don’t think it will drastically change the situation. Turkey still has sharp contradictions on the issue of Ukraine, and Ankara is trying to inform Tehran about the content of the dialogue with the United States, saying that the process will not be directed against Tehran. The processes are complicated; I don’t think there will be any radical changes in the overall situation at once.
– The Russian-American representatives chose Istanbul for the negotiations. What does this mean? Does this change Turkey’s role and increase Turkey’s sphere of influence?
It’s a very pertinent question. Ankara was worried that Riyadh hosted the meeting of the US and Russian foreign ministers. Turkey has long wanted to mediate and provide a platform for resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict. By involving Saudi Arabia, Washington brought about a turning point in both the format and the platform. The US will lead the Riyadh-Ankara competition with negotiations and platform changes.
– Did Russia and Iran reach an agreement on unblocking the roads?
– Difficult. Russia wants its troops to control security, and Tehran does not wish to have any other force in its border regions. By the way, the interests of Tehran and the collective West coincide here.
– The Georgian Foreign Minister also visited Turkey. How do you interpret the developments taking place in our region? What is brewing in the cauldron?
– Georgia is passing through turbulent zones in the whirlpool of its repositioning. These are somewhat frozen states. Ultimately, the Georgian ship will once again set sail for Europe.
