Page 16 - The Indian EYE 031822

OpINION MARCH 18, 2022 | The Indian Eye 16

of the Supreme National Security Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. In the
Council, Ali Shamkhani tweeted that In addition to the geopolitical
Iran is selling its oil and getting its and geoeconomics convergences and
money, something that has become challenges facing Iran and Russia in
‘irreversible’ and therefore the US the Eurasia, strengthening of Iran–
cannot use its sanctions as leverage Russia bilateral relations and its re-
any more. The success of such alter- gional dimension is also facilitated by
native financial and banking mecha- the inter-factional struggle for power
nisms is crucial to conservative Raisi in Iran which has for now settled in
administration’s narrative of ‘active favor of Iran’s conservatives. When
resistance’, namely that Western Raisi’s predecessor Rouhani pursued
sanctions can be rendered ineffective the Western-vector of Iran’s foreign
through partnership with non-West- policy with the overarching goal of
ern powers. normalizing Iran’s international rela-
At the SCO summit in Sep- tions and integrate it with the global
tember 2021, President Raisi pro- economy, the conservatives sought
jected Iran as the link between the discrediting them ideologically as
three key infrastructure projects in ‘Westerners’ and ‘liberals’. However,
Eurasia—the Eurasian Economic with the failure of moderates’ West-
Union, China’s Belt and Road Initia- ern outreach in the aftermath of the
tive and the North–South Corridor. US withdrawal from the JCPOA, the
He said, “Iran is the link between the conservatives have seized the initia-
above three infrastructure projects. tive in consolidating the Eastern di-
Iran could be the connecting link mension of Iran’s foreign policy. For
between South and North Eurasia conservatives now in power, a long-
through the North-South Corridor, India External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar meets Iran President Ebrahim Raisi and handed term partnership with Russia can
connecting Central Asia and Russia contribute to stability and security
to India. The north-south corridor over a personal message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Tehran last year (ANI Photo) in their shared neighborhood, bring
can strengthen the convergence in- geoeconomics opportunities and also
frastructure in the form of the ‘Great build a transit road on the Armenian in October 2019. weaken the influence of moderates
Eurasia’”. Moscow, for its part, has soil, and quickly launched six Cas- Iran turned to regionalism in the and reformists who have supported
come to see Iran as a geographically, pian Sea shipping lines from north- wake of the changes in the post-Cold the cause of economic reforms that
economically and politically import- ern ports of Iran to Russian ports of War international system, when the will jeopardize the economic dom-
ant country located at the southern Astrakhan and Makhachkala as well possibility of balance between su- inance of the Islamic Revolution
periphery of its “near abroad” and as the port of Aktau in Kazakhstan. perpowers in the bipolar system was Guards Corps (IRGC) and other pa-
shares Iran’s interests in promot- Two more lines are to be added by suddenly removed and the pursuit ra-governmental foundations (bon-
ing north–south connectivity. Since the end of current Iranian financial of regional cooperation therefore, yads) in order to make way for a pro-
2016, Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia year on 20 March. became a geostrategic imperative. ductive private sector.
have had a tripartite mechanism To realize its transit potential, Iran, has therefore pursued a prag- Notwithstanding Tehran’s push
to cooperate on developing transit Tehran needs financing to renovate matic and a Russia-centric policy for ever-growing partnership with
and transport infrastructure of the its infrastructure and manage its com- in post-Soviet Central Asia and the Moscow, Raisi administration has re-
North–South transport corridor on petition with Baku, which is rapidly Caucasus from mediating alongside iterated its “strategy of balancing for-
the western coast of the Caspian constructing transport infrastructure Moscow in the Tajik Civil War in eign relations” on multiple occasions.
Sea among other common areas of in the territories it recently liberated 1990s, to considering Russian ‘count- Such declarations at once seek to avoid
shared concerns. The integration of from Armenia. Given Russia’s transit er-terrorism’ operations in Chechnya domestic criticism of overreliance on
the three countries’ railways will en- potential is undermined by the emer- in the 1990s and 2000s as an ‘internal one power and at the same time try to
hance their transit capacities, while gence of new Trans-Caucasus, East– matter’ of Russia. While Chechen increase Iran’s bargaining power at a
promoting trans-continental trade West routes connecting China and experience shaped Russian under- time when its economy is fragile and
in Eurasia. Still, transport and tran- Central Asia to Europe, both Iran standing of threat posed by ‘radical its international position uncertain.
sit infrastructure has developed at and Russia have interest in expedit- Islam’ to regional stability and ter- Dr Deepika Saraswat is an Associate
a modest pace and new geopolitical ing the work on the north–south cor- ritorial integrity of Russia, Iran also Fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Insti-
realities following Azerbaijan’s vic- ridor. Furthermore, as negotiations feels threatened by the spread of an- tute for Defense Studies and Analyses
tory in the Second Karabakh War in are underway for a full-fledged free ti-Iranian Sunni ‘radical Islam’. This
2020 have thrown up new challenges. trade agreement between Iran and convergence culminated into Rus- Views expressed are of the author and
For instance, late last year Iran was the EAEU, a reliable land transit sia–Iran counter-terrorism partner- do not necessarily reflect the views of
forced to look for alternative transit across the Caucasus is crucial. Raisi’s ship in Syria. the Manohar Parrrikar IDSA or of the
routes to Armenia, a member of the Minister for Finance and Economic The Russia–Iran geopolitical Government of India.
EAEU, and Russia, after Baku im- Affairs Ehsan Khandouzi, who was convergence in the Caucasus–Caspi- Views expressed are of the author and
posed custom duty on Iranian trucks part of ministerial delegation to Rus- an region and Central Asia is based do not necessarily reflect the views of
travelling via Goris-Kapan highway, sia, noted that Moscow has finalized on their shared opposition to the the Manohar Parrikar IDSA or of the
a segment of 400 km road network previously agreed US$ 5 billion cred- NATO expansion, popular unrest Government of India.
running from Norduz on Iran–Arme- it line for the completion of three against region’s autocratic leaders as
nia border to Yerevan and on to Rus- power plant projects and finance the Western-backed ‘color revolutions’ This is the abridged version of the
sia. Goris-Kapan highway straddles Rasht-Astara railway line and electri- and their shared belief that region- article which appeared first in the
disputed sections of Armenia–Azer- fication between Garmsar in south- al powers should shape the securi- Comment section of the website (www.
baijan border or falls into territory west of Tehran to Incheh-Borun on ty architecture in Eurasia. Moscow idsa.in) of Manohar Parrikar Institute
recently liberated by Azerbaijan. As Iran–Turkmenistan border, a flag- considers Iran’s participation as nec- for Defense Studies and Analyses, New
an alternative, Iran has committed to ship project Russia had abandoned essary in settling regional crises in Delhi on March 4, 2022

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