Karabakh status to gain urgency if Iran tensions scalate – Russian expert

PanARMENIAN.Net - Main players of the world have too much on their hands at present to focus on Transcaucasia or Iran, a Russian analyst said.

According to Stanislav Tarasov, "Baku is still under the pressure of Zurich agreement on normalization of ties between Armenia and Turkey. Especially so, since the documents are pending ratification in the parliaments of both states, even though Ankara, under Baku pressure links the ratification of the Protocols to Karabakh conflict settlement. Still, Turkey can alter its policy should the political situation change, if only to preserve its regional influence."

Dwelling on the situation with Iran, the expert noted, "Main players of the world have too much on their hands at present to focus on Transcaucasia or Iran."

"According to Azeri official Mamedov, Baku's closer ties with the West caused a certain strain in relations with Iran. Tehran is pressuring Baku to end cooperation with the U.S. and Israel as enemies of Azerbaijan and Iran. Which means Baku is enacting a scenario of a political union with Tehran. Baku's concerns are justified. Firstly, Baku can serve as a potential springboard for the Western attack on Iran. Should the West strike Iran, the latter will attack the West's allies –Turkey and Azerbaijan. It's not only that. Baku believes that in case of necessity, 5% of Iran's Azeris will intensify efforts to uproot Tehran regime. However, those same Azeris might organize a liberation movement against Baku. And should the tensions rise, the issue of Karabah status will gain urgency in the region," the expert concluded.