ArmInfo. Since the war in Ukraine broke out with all the ensuing consequences, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey are the only corridors to Europe for Russia, Ambassador Arman Melikyan said in an interview with ArmInfo.
"No doubt, Armenia is assuming an entirely new, paramount importance for Russia in the context of Russia advancing not only its regional interests, but also broader interests. In this respect, Ukraine and all the accompanying global processes are and will go on binging about changes in the present geopolitical situation in the South Caucasus," he said.
In commenting on the concern Ali Khamenei voiced at his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Erdogan in Tehran, Mr Melikyan said that, for the aforementioned reasons, Moscow is most likely to "relegate Tehran's viewpoint to the background" and prefer seeking a reliable route to Europe provided it is in control of the route.
This is in line with Moscow's present-day strategic interests, which accounts for Russia's tolerance toward the corridor-related plans of Azerbaijan and Turkey.
"Turkey is perfectly aware of that. This is the reason for Ankara rejecting the idea to block the admission of Finland and Sweden to NATO. Russia-controlled alternative routes to Europe are not at all in Turkey's interests. This is an example of the inextricably intertwined geopolitical factors, which are at first sight different in terms of both content and nature," Mr Melikyan said.