Formation of new world order clearly manifested in Middle East, with  certain challenges for Armenia as well - political scientist

ArmInfo. The formation of a new world order is most clearly manifested in the Middle East, where  there are certain challenges for Armenia. Doctor of Political Sciences Vahe Davtyan writes about this on his Facebook page.

According to him, Saudi Arabia recently announced its decision not to  renew the oil agreement signed with the United States in 1974, which  could create serious problems for Washington's main geopolitical  instrument - the dollar. Recently it became known that Iran and  Bahrain are going to restore diplomatic relations, severed in 2016  under direct pressure from Washington. It is noteworthy that Bahrain  was one of the key US satellites in the Middle East. Suffice it to  say that the US 5th Fleet is stationed in the waters of Bahrain. Both  the decisions of Riyadh and Manana can be qualified as a strategic  retreat of the United States in the Middle East, which is especially  emphasized against the backdrop of China's growing influence in the  region.

The political scientist emphasized that the restoration of both  Iranian-Saudi (2023) and Iranian-Bahrain relations is actually taking  place through the mediation of Beijing. The latter, soberly realizing  the importance of the Gulf countries in energy supplies, is  dynamically developing the Middle East vector of its own foreign  policy. However, if initially this vector was fueled exclusively by  geo-economic means, in recent years, especially since 2017, when  China created the first military base outside its borders in  Djibouti, Beijing began to demonstrate a more inclusive approach,  skillfully using diplomatic, lobbying and other tools.

In fact, today a geopolitical axis is being formed, within the  framework of which China will try to implement the Greater Eurasia  project. One of the key mega-regions for China is the Middle East, in  which Beijing is currently winning.

Anyone who is more or less versed in academic geopolitics will  confirm that the Middle East and South Caucasus are organically  connected regions, which is especially emphasized in the light of the  Iranian factor. China's activation in the Middle East, carried out  through the prism of deepening the strategic dialogue with Iran,  creates a serious basis for the same Chinese inclusivity in the South  Caucasus direction.  In Beijing's geopolitical schemes, Iran is also  seen as a player indirectly promoting Chinese interests in the South  Caucasus. As a result, both parties will be satisfied. Tehran will  gain access to the Black Sea and strengthen itself as a regional  superpower, and China will be able to reduce India's growing  influence in this direction by including new transport links in the  Belt and Road Initiative. In this configuration, the key foreign  policy and security challenge for Armenia should be the deepening of  strategic dialogue with Iran and China in diplomatic, economic,  cultural and other areas. "Although it would be more correct to talk  not about deepening the dialogue with the mentioned countries, but at  least for now, given the accession of Armenia to the Alliance of  Religious Freedoms in 2020, which is also an anti-Chinese initiative,  like the actual freezing of almost all key projects with Iran," noted  Vahe Davtyan.