The appointment of a prime minister in Armenia who favors close cooperation with Iran bodes well for the future of two-way relations, says a political analyst.
Developing ties with Tehran remains a priority for Yerevan's foreign policy establishment, Vali Koozegar-Kaleji, a researcher at the Strategic Research Center of the Expediency Council, told ISNA in an interview.
In a key development in the former Soviet republic, Armenia's parliament elected opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan as prime minister on May 8, capping a peaceful revolution driven by weeks of mass protests against corruption that had plunged the country into political crisis and forced his predecessor out.
Demonstrations erupted after parliament voted to allow Serzh Sargsyan, who had served as president for a decade, to become premier, in a job switch his opponents said showed he was clinging to power, Reuters reported.
After the appointment of Pashinyan—who holds power in the southern Caucasus nation under a revised constitution—Iran said it welcomes efforts to promote stability, peace and security in Armenia and advocates stronger relations in all fields.
Favorable View
"Before taking office as prime minister, Pashinyan served as a member of parliament for two terms and was also a member of Iran-Armenia parliamentary friendship group," Koozegar-Kaleji said, adding that the new premier has a “very positive view of Iran.”
In remarks published by Iravaban.net on May 9, the Armenian prime minister said his country will strongly pursue expansion of ties with Tehran.
He also expressed concern over the decision by the United States to pull out of an international nuclear deal with Iran signed in 2015.
"We are rather worried about the recent developments and think that the best way to resolve disagreements is to negotiate," Pashinyan was quoted as saying.
Breathing Room
The EC expert maintains that Iran is a "Strategic and significant" partner for Armenia—a country of about three million people nestled in mountains between Iran, Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan—and gives it "breathing room" in a region beset by disputes.
"The geopolitical conditions in Armenia orient that country's new leadership toward having [closer] relations with Iran," he said.
Since it emerged as an independent state after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Armenia, a majority Christian country, has been locked in a territorial conflict with mainly-Muslim Azerbaijan, and is under a Turkish economic embargo.
Balancing Ties
Koozegar-Kaleji is of the opinion that the new political line-up in Yerevan will not adopt a "confrontational" approach toward Russia but rather seek to "balance" the country's foreign relations by forging closer ties with Iran, Europe and other states.
According to the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin and Pashinyan have agreed to further strengthen bilateral ties. The ousted prime minister was a close Putin ally.
The researcher added that the newly appointed premier had in the past criticized the government's failure to implement joint projects with Iran, which means he attaches importance to bilateral collaboration.
"We have been cooperating with Armenia in several areas, namely export of electricity, gas and foodstuff.”
