Russian expert: Iran and Turkey forced to coordinate to neutralize  shared threats

ArmInfo. Although Iran and Turkey are rivals, they are forced to coordinate their actions to neutralize common threats, which have become more acute in the wake of the aggression against the Iranian Republic of Iran (IRI). 

Political observer and expert at the Strategic Culture Foundation  Andrei Areshev made this statement during a Moscow-Yerevan video  conference, when speaking about the situation in the Middle East.

The expert clarified that these include ethno-confessional threats,  refugee flows, and, for Turkey, the Kurdish issue, which the  American-Israeli tandem has tried to exploit against Iran and may try  again. "That is, the scope for cooperation and interaction between  countries, in my opinion, is greater than the scope for  confrontation. And Turkey's restrained stance on attempts to attack  American targets on its territory is extremely indicative in this  regard," Areshev noted.

Speaking about Turkey's possible actions amid the Middle East crisis,  the expert recalled that Turkey's experienced diplomacy will continue  to try to advance the country's interests, including as a regional  hub and the main communication route between the Caucasus and Iran  and other Middle Eastern countries. In this regard, he drew attention  to the resurgent theme of the four major regional powers-Turkey,  Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan-trying to coordinate their  approaches on key regional policy issues.  "Therefore, Turkey will  continue to play on all the possible boards, as it has been doing all  these years," Areshev noted.

Reflecting on the Iranian case, the expert recalled that the country  has suffered heavy losses following the onset of American-Israeli  aggression. However, the country's political and military leadership  are acting based on the evolving situation  to avoid defeat and  preserve face as much as possible. "I think this is a good lesson for  all states in the region, including the world," Areshev concluded.