Valdai Club

Although the recent escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh is unlikely to trigger broader regional confrontation, it is a source of serious concern for Iran, Kayhan Barzegar, Director of the Institute for Middle East Strategic Studies in Teheran, told valdaiclub.com Monday.

“Given its internal and bilateral dynamics, ethnic-religious base, and historical backgrounds, the current crisis in the Nagorno-Karabakh is unlikely to turn to a regional conflict out of the Armenia-Azerbaijan relations and generally the politics of South Caucasus,” he said in comments sent by email.

However, this conflict is a potential source of instability, which threatens all the major stakeholders. “Spread of another hot conflict in the region is the last thing the regional and trans-regional powers would want, as it will bring further tensions and instability in the broader region, providing the grounds for connecting the jihadist activities such as that of the ISIS from North Africa and the Levant to Caucasus and Central Asia. Such situation can endanger the global peace and security,” Barzegar pointed out.

“Russia and Turkey, which are already in a political tension as the result of downing of a Russian jet by Turkey over Syria and not interested to escalate the current tension, have called the two sides for cessation of the conflict,” the Iranian scholar said.

“Iran, in the post-JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, known commonly as the Iran deal – Ed.] situation, seeking for improved relations with all countries in order to bring stability in the region which is crucial for entering foreign investments in the country, asked for immediate ceasefire,” he concluded.