ArmInfo.Taking into account the fact that the statement of the representative of the reformist wing Hassan Rouhani followed the statement of the representative of the conservatives, the speaker of the Iranian parliament Mohammad Bagher Galibaf, it seems possible to state that Iran is extremely serious about the prospect of membership in the EAEU.
A similar opinion was expressed to ArmInfo by the Iranianist Vardan Voskanyan, commenting on the intention voiced by Iranian President Rouhani to ensure the permanent presence of his country in the EAEU.
“The EAEU's going beyond the borders of the post-Soviet space will make us witnesses of rather curious geopolitical transformations. Taking into account the fact that Armenia is the only country that does not have a border with the rest of the EAEU countries and has a border with Iran, the appearance of Iran in the EAEU is definitely beneficial for Armenia. The Armenian-Iranian border will become the border of the EAEU, and our countries will find themselves within the framework of a single economic zone, "he stressed.
The latter, according to the Iranian expert, will open wide opportunities for Armenia to enter the Iranian market. Iran, in turn, according to its estimates, considers Armenia as an important platform for work with the EAEU. And if Iran's membership becomes a reality, Yerevan, if it works correctly, will become a link between Iran and Russia.
Commenting on the prospects for joining the EAEU and Azerbaijan, especially after summing up the results of the 44-day war, Voskanyan stressed that at least at the level of state propaganda in the media, Moscow is already putting some pressure on Baku for this purpose. At the same time, the prospects of this process, in his opinion, look rather vague. First of all, due to the unwillingness of the Azerbaijani dictator to further limit his own power.
In this light, the Iranian scholar also noted the presence of the Turkish factor, stressing the discrepancy between the appearance of Azerbaijan in the EAEU and the interests of Ankara. In this light, Voskanyan stressed the contradictory nature of Azerbaijan's membership in the same integration union with Armenia and Russia with the Azerbaijani plans of Turkey.
"Thus, the contradictions between Moscow's plans and Ankara's plans are evident here. And given that Baku has no plans for Eurasian integration at the moment, all this may deepen the conceptual contradictions between Moscow and the Ankara-Baku tandem. Which is undoubtedly in our interests and may well be used to promote Yerevan's own agenda, "the Iranian scholar summed up.