Tehran, Ankara – It was only 10 days since the demand of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iran to support the establishment of the Zanghar Corridor because it is a “integration project linking the Turkish world across Turkish territory and opens new horizons for regional development”, until Ali Akbar Velayati, the Iranian advisor for international affairs, stated about the influence struggle in the Caucasus, that Tehran “has failed the project to establish the Zenghar Corridor to link Azerbaijan to Benghajwan via via Armenian lands. ”
While my state considered that the Zenghazour Corridor project “was aimed at dividing Armenia and cutting the path of Iran’s arrival in Europe,” he added in an interview with the position of the Iranian Supreme Leader, last Sunday, that his country was able without Russian support to maintain the security of the Caucasus and prevent its penetration from “NATO”.
This comes almost a week after “Tehran’s conclusive opposition to any strategic transformations in the Caucasus region,” and rejected by the regional linking projects “imposed by one party”, stressing that selective projects that “marginalize countries or change equations” are unacceptable.
Tehran’s position
In response to the Turkish president’s call for Iran to join the Zenghazor Corridor, he emphasized Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatib Zadeh, that the Iranian position is based on “fixed principles: respect for the sovereignty of states and their regional safety,” stressing in press statements that any regional communication “must be comprehensive and exactly against compatibility.”
Despite this, the state’s statement is considered the first public recognition of an Iranian role in stopping a project that threatens Tehran’s strategic interests, according to observers in Tehran, because Tehran believes that the project aims to cut the “vital Iran road” to Europe via Armenia and Georgia and isolate the Islamic Republic from the Caucasus.
In the context, Mohsen Buck Ayen, the former Iranian ambassador to the Azerbaiju, believes that the corridor would have turned into a military base for some regional countries that allow the NATO and “NATO” and “Zionist entity” to monitor the Iranian borders by deploying advanced radars and wars, which prompted Tehran to move politically and military mobilization to thwart the project.
Crossed messages
Speaking to Al -Jazeera Net, Buck Ayen believes that the statements of my state carry encrypted messages by saying, “We have preserved the security of the Caucasus without Russian support” in an indication that Moscow had distanced itself from the project because of its preoccupation with the war with Ukraine, which means that facing Tehran this project “alone” has turned it into a “security guarantor” in the Caucasus.
The same spokesman saw that his country had maintained regional peace by disrupting foreign projects on its borders and undermining the influence of its enemies in the Caucasus, as well as its support for the return of Qara Bagh to Azerbaijan and the prevention of the sovereignty of Armenia and the besieging of Russia from the southern side.
On the internal level, the statements of my state understood that they are part of the Islamic Republic’s strategy to enhance national unity in the face of external threats, as it was supported by some political circles that see in preserving Iranian national security an urgent necessity.
The former Iranian ambassador in Baku concluded that the recent statements of my state came to send a message inside and outside that Iran was not capable and able as it is today throughout history.
Ankara’s position
In Türkiye, Ankara looks at the Zenghazour Corridor project as a corner stone in its endeavors to enhance geographical and economic communication with Azerbaijan, and a new window for openness to Central Asia.
The corridor, which extends from Nakhjuan across Armenia to Azerbaijan, is expected to form a vital axis on a huge commercial road that runs from London to Beijing, at a value estimated at trillions of dollars, making it a source of huge economic gains for neighboring countries.
Turkish President Erdogan previously stressed the geopolitical importance of the corridor, describing it as “not just a transient road, but a strategic integration line linking the Turkish world through Turkish territory,” noting that the project will enhance infrastructure capabilities in the areas of transport and energy within the South Caucasus.
In statements he made during his return from Azerbaijan last month, Erdogan stressed that the Zenghazur Corridor “is not limited to being a link between Azerbaijan and Nakhjwan, but rather a broader integration project linking the Turkish world, and opens new horizons for regional development.”
He added, “We expect our neighbor Iran to support these steps, because of the opportunities it carries to achieve peace, stability and development. Every passage opens, and every step takes, will contribute to bringing peoples and enhancing joint economic gains.”
Ambitions
For his part, the researcher in international relations at the University of Azerbaijan, Lotfi Qarbi, believes that the Zenghazur Corridor is one of the most ambitious geopolitical projects for Turkey in the post -Cold War stage, stressing that it goes beyond being a mere infrastructure project, to practically embody the idea of the “unified Turkish world” that Ankara seeks to establish within the Organization of Turkish States.
According to Qarji, the corridor will provide a direct ground link between Turkey and the Turkish -speaking Central Asian republics, without the need to pass through Iranian or Russian territory, which enhances the position of Ankara as an alternative geopolitical and commercial corridor in the heart of Eurasia.
On the economic level, Karaji asserts in an interview with Al -Jazeera Net that the corridor will open a strategic path for land and thunderous transport that extends from Turkish territory to the Caspian Sea, and from there to the depth of Central Asia to China, which strengthens Turkey’s position within the Chinese “Belt and Road” initiative, and gives it logistical and commercial superiority in the regional market, by reducing transportation costs and accelerating the flow of goods.
On the Iranian position on the project, Qarji indicates that the public opposition shown by Tehran reflects real strategic concerns about losing its role as a basic pathway linking Azerbaijan with the Republic of Nakjuan, as well as its concern about the regional imbalance in favor of the Turkish-Azerbaijani alliance.
He warns that this position may complicate the implementation of a number of vital projects in the fields of transportation and energy, and leads to the escalation of political tensions around the cross -border corridors, with the possibility of Iranian rejection of regional powers such as Armenia and Russia to pressure the project or suggest alternative paths from it.
Regional competition
However, Karaji believes that the influence of this opposition will not be decisive in the long term, in light of the growing alliance between Ankara and Baku, and the continuation of political and field support between the two sides.
For his part, the academic and political analyst Ali Fouad Gokche considers that the relationship between Iran and Turkey, despite the absence of war between them for centuries, is based on a demolished regional competition that each party seeks to maintain the balance of power in the region.
In an interview with Al -Jazeera Net, he confirms that “Iran was and still is the most initiative in this competition,” adding that Tehran is closely monitoring every Turkish step, driven by its sensitivity to the presence of a large Turkish minority within its borders.
Gokche believes that the Zenghazur Corridor represents one of the most prominent manifestations of this calm conflict, noting that the project would give Turkey a direct land outlet to Central Asia, and rearrange the scales of influence in the South Caucasus in favor of Ankara and Baku, which may push Iran to its obstruction.
“Iran may have hindered the implementation of the corridor at the present time, but it did not stop it, but only for it. The corridor, in my estimation, will be achieved sooner or later,” he added.
While the Turkish side reads the statements of my state in the context of the conflict of regional powers, the question remains on how Iran responds to regional and international reactions to its positions and policies of the opposite party towards Tehran, because understanding these dynamics will help in drawing a clearer image of the future of Iranian relations with its neighbors and how it affects security and stability in the region.