Severe struggle has started in the region for the position of regional power-holder

PanARMENIAN.Net - In political aspect Iran's position is more favourable than that of Turkey. There exists only the problem dreamed up by Baku - the problem of South Azerbaijan, the Iranian province on the Azerbaijani border. There is also the nuclear program that challenges the USA and the EC. However, Iran does not face any problems with her neighbouring states. And that is true - Iran does not look around in her foreign policy, like Turkey, and contributes to regulation of conflicts and controversial issues in the region.

During a phone conversation between Manouchehr Mottaki and RA FM Edward Nalbandian, the Iranian Foreign Minister welcomed the positive shifts in Armenian-Turkish relations. In his words, as a powerful and stable country in the region Iran can assist reconciliation between the two neighbors - Turkey and Armenia. The conversation between Mottaki and Nalbandian shows that serious developments in the Armenian-Turkish relations are on the agenda. Mottaki also expressed hope that improvements of relations between the two countries would contribute to the establishment of peace and harmony in the region. At the end the Iranian FM invited his Armenian counterpart to a conference on Non-Alignment Movement due in Tehran, late July, and confirmed his earlier invitation to visit Iran in current September.

Meanwhile, according to Iranian expert Hatam Ghaderi, Iran's willingness to mediate in Armenian-Turkish reconciliation is a unique tool to exert pressure on Official Ankara and is a response to Turkey's mediation between Syria (Iran's ally) and Israel (Iran's opponent) . "Using the Armenian factor Iran is willing to put pressure on Turkey. In fact, Turkey was the first to toy with Iran and 'put its cards on the table' against this country. And now, in response, Official Teheran is eager to put pressure on Turkey, using Armenia as its trump-card," Ghaderi said.

In his turn, Turkish political analyst Ufug Coshgun considers that Iran issued statements on her willingness to serve as a mediator between Turkey and Armenia as an alternative to Turkey's mediation between Syria and Israel. According to Coshgun, there is a chance of Iran's mediation to prove effective but it is not something you can be fully certain about.
However, it should be noted that Turkey's mediation in establishing negotiations between Syria and Israel has produced no results. In the words of Prime-Minister of Israel Ehud Olmert the issue can be reconsidered only in January 2009 with a new president in the USA. The US European lobby might hold back the initiative until it has a guarantee of Israel's security, whereas Turkey is unable to provide such a guarantee since the Iranian President keeps threatening Israel with enviable drive.

However, Iran's success in developing Armenian-Turkish relations is not definite. In both cases the efforts of mediators will fail if the parties are unwilling to come to an agreement. And it is exactly what the parties now lack.