Strategic Council Online – Turkey has made significant progress in the military industry, and is known in the world not only in the production of light and heavy weapons, vehicles, ships and military aircraft, but has also outstanding activity in the design and development of missiles, electronic systems and control.
Mahmoud Fazeli – Analyst of international affairs
Strategic Council Online – Head of Iran-Armenia Friendship Association, stating that Russia and the United States have not shown opposition to the continuation of Pashinyan’s stay in power, said: In the early elections, Pashinyan will regain the majority and will continue his rule, of course, if there is no coup by the military.
Strategic Council Online – An analyst of the Caucasus affairs believes that in negotiations in the aftermath of the second Karabakh war, issues have been taken into consideration that is not in the interest of lasting peace in the region, but in line with addressing the targets and objectives pursued by regional and trans-regional players. According to him, now the main issue has been overshadowed by the secondary issues.
Strategic Council Online – The two governments of Iran and Turkey have been the two balanced, stable and important governments in the region for centuries, and these two governments, within the historical context, have always been the main players in the region.
Dr. Mohsen Eslami – Faculty member of Tarbiat Modarres University
Strategic Council Online – Europe is pursuing a kind of “tilt but don’t spill” attitude towards Turkey, based on which it is neither indifferent nor reacts harshly.
Afshin Zargar – PhD in International Relations, Faculty Member
Strategic Council Online – A faculty member of Tarbiat Modares University, stating that Turkey seeks to revive its soft power with the idea of regional convergence, said: Details of this plan, its common interests and threats are not clear and there is an ambiguity that basically to what extent bringing those countries together can be realistic and practical.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: A researcher of the Caucasus region says the opposition of some political parties in the Republic of Azerbaijan to the ceasefire deal with the Republic of Armenia can play a significant role given the Caucasus conflict has not yet been finished.
Strategic Council Online—Editorial: Turkey is one of the main regional players which has been pursuing an aggressive foreign policy during the past several years—a country which once prioritized in its foreign policy the zero-tension approach with its neighbors but has now turned down that policy by entering into various levels of political, security, military and field operational engagements in the West Asia, the Caucasus and North Africa regions. In fact, you can find very few hot spots in the region in which Turkey has not been actively involved.
Hamid Khoshayand-International issues analyst
Strategic Council Online—Opinion: The Turkey’s role in the Karabakh conflict should be investigated on the basis of the political and historical ties and objectives of Turkey in the Azerbaijan Republic.
Dr. Qadir Golkarian—Member of the academic staff of the Near East University, Cyprus
Strategic Council Online – The former Iranian ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan said: At the present juncture, the Islamic Republic should seek lasting peace over the Karabakh issue and the differences between the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia, and ‘no war no peace” is not in the interest of any country in the region.
Strategic Council Online: At present, part of Turkey’s tensions with neighbouring countries and its surrounding areas are rooted in the “geopolitical coordinates and characteristics” of that country.
Strategic Council Online: Former Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan, outlining Russia’s agreement plan for a ceasefire between Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, said: This agreement has not dealt with resolving the Karabakh conflict and Iran’s mediation efforts to resolve the conflict and full liberation of Karabakh should be continued.
Strategic Council Online: Continuation of the military conflict between the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia, which started on September 27, 2020 due to the military movements of the Republic of Azerbaijan to retake its territories, can be discussed from various points of view.
Dr. Shoaib Bahman – Expert on Russia Affairs
Strategic Council Online—Opinion: The Security Council of the United Nations has issued four resolutions so far on the Karabakh issue, asking Armenia to evacuate seven cities of the Republic of Azerbaijan; however, Yerevan has refused to withdraw. Therefore, the Security Council should convince Armenia, perhaps through the current mechanisms such as Chapter Seven of the Charter of the United Nations, to return these cities to the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Mohsen Pak-Aeen – Former ambassador of Iran to the Republic of Azerbaijan
Strategic Council Online—Opinion: The United States believes that the power of Russia’s influence in Europe would be multiplied when the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline goes on stream and European countries would become more dependant on cheap gas coming from Russia.
Mahmoud Fazeli—Expert of European affairs
Strategic Council Online: Editorial—The Security Council of the United Nations, having passed four UN resolutions in the primary years of the 1990s, has delegated the issue of the return of peace to Karabakh to regional organizations in particular to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). In 1992, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe set up a mechanism under the title of the “Minsk Group”, comprising of nine countries, to deal with the settlement of the issue. The Minsk Group is currently chaired by the United States, Russia and France. Even though the Minsk Group managed to organize a ceasefire between the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Bishkek on 12 May 1994, it has failed during the past recent years to completely resolve the Karabakh dispute. Given the occurrence of two consecutive military confrontations since the beginning of 2020 with numerous dimensions, the issue of the performance and effectiveness of the Minsk Group is once again placed at the centre of the world’s attention.
Dr Shoayb Bahman, Expert of Russia affairs
Strategic Council Online – Editorial – The Karabakh crisis has no military solution and so these tensions should be immediately stopped. And any political solution or negotiation should be channelled through regional frameworks to be effective and productive. The internationalization of this problem would further complicate the conflict under circumstances in which international players are interested in continued crisis and escalation in this region.
Hasan Beheshtipour – International relations analyst
