‘It would be interesting’. Expert on Iran-Russia-India triangle

MINSK, 6 May (BelTA) – In the latest episode of V Teme [On Point] project, Russian political scientist and orientalist Karine Gevorgyan explained the potential implications of a strategic alliance between Iran, Russia and India.

Reflecting on the idea of forming a Russia-Iran-China axis, she noted: “As for the difficult convergence of Russia’s and Iran’s strategic interests, if India were to drift closer to this tandem, it would be truly interesting. For now, it seems more likely that Pakistan would join Russia and Iran. I think India is missing its chance in this case. They shouldn’t. I believe they should think about it. This debate is ongoing in India. If they did, we could create a north-south axis that allows all these countries, India, Iran and Russia, to hold very serious and important positions in Africa, some of which are already partly secured,” the analyst said.

Karine Gevorgyan pointed out that South Africa is an ally of Iran. “At the very least, it has provided diplomatic support, and not only that. Joint naval exercises were also held (Russia, South Africa, Iran), and so on. There is rapprochement, and this means logistical access to Africa, including to the Indian Ocean. All of this is very important and beneficial,” she said.

“Security in the southern post-Soviet space is important for both us and them. That is why Iranian analysts said they were shocked during the de-Armenianization of the South Caucasus (I mean all the Karabakh events). They did not expect Russia to allow this. And they immediately stated that a change in the ethnic map of the Caucasus is a threat to them. They did not hide it,” she said. “Regarding the status of Karabakh, they have consistently supported Azerbaijan, but they have never been Armenophobic.”

Karine Gevorgyan added that Russia’s current operational interests are focused on Azerbaijan. “Our [Russian] Deputy Prime Minister [Alexey] Overchuk is urging Russian businesses to invest in Azerbaijan’s economy, saying that the investment climate there is excellent. However, we have concerns about whether this money will also be used for weapons production, given that we are encouraging economic development in post-Soviet Azerbaijan. After [Alexey] Overchuk’s visit, [Vladimir] Zelensky also visited Baku. Look how they embraced him! And the agreements are quite serious on drone production and more. Just like in European countries and in Türkiye,” the analyst noted. “And Iran is watching all of this.”