India-Iran-Armenia trilateral cooperation may prove crucial for their economic development
Over the past few years, cooperation between Armenia, Iran and India has been increasing. Traditionally India has enjoyed close and cordial relations with Iran. India also has historical and civilizational ties with Armenia. Iran and Armenia share a border and close historical ties, Indian newspaper Awaz – The Voice writes.
As noted, the three countries, though very different at first glance, share a common challenge – difficult neighborhoods. Their historically cordial relations have since paved the way for closer bilateral relations and are evolving into trilateral cooperation.
The key to this cooperation is connectivity and trade routes. India, scouring for faster and more cost-effective trade corridors both to its east and west, has been working on implementing the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) which would link it to the Russian Federation through Iran. Iran and Armenia are crucial for India’s connectivity ambitions. Iran serves as India’s getaway to Central Asia and the Caucasus. Since at least 2013, India has been mulling over the development of the Chabahar port on Iran’s East coast in the Sistan-Baluchistan province, overlooking the Gulf of Oman. For India, this is the nearest Iranian port. It was also meant to counter the China-built Gwadar Port on Pakistan’s Makran Port. However, western sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program had stalled the progress on Chabahar. Armenia has a unique geopolitical location- a landlocked country in the heart of the South Caucuses, it borders Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Georgia. The plan aims to leverage this to turn the country into a trade, transport, and communications hub, and enable countries of the region to access European and Asian markets and vice versa.
Armenia becomes important as such an alternate trade and transport route could only pass through Armenia which is a part of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
Such a corridor will also be a significant counter to China’s Belt and Road Initiative which runs parallel, connecting Turkey to Central Asia through Georgia, and Azerbaijan.
Such India-Iran-Armenia trilateral cooperation is crucial for the economies of both Iran and Armenia too. Iran has just taken a huge battering from its shadow war with Israel. It’s also reeling under sanctions and trade and transit routes running through it will be a source of enormous revenue.
For Armenia too, turning its landlocked geography into a regional connectivity and communication hub will pay rich dividends.
