In an interview with IRNA on Tuesday, West Asia expert Hassan Hanizadeh said that the recent trip to Iran by the presidents of Russia and Turkey bespoke the strategic position of Iran in settling regional crises.
Hanizadeh highlighted high-level visits to Tehran in recent months made by presidents of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan, the Emir of Qatar, and the prime minister of Iraq, noting that the diplomatic traffic indicated the region was entering a new phase of stability and peace.
He said that the Raisi administration’s policy to expand relations with the Persian Gulf countries, China, and Russia has had a positive effect on regional integration which is in the interest of the West Asian countries.
During President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Tehran, Iran offered a plan to solve the issues of Turkey’s military presence in Syria which is slated to be implemented, according to Hanizadeh.
A joint Syrian-Turkish military committee will be formed to protect their common borders and Syria will disarm all paramilitary groups and guarantee to protect the borders, as said by the expert.
He also said that Iran announced readiness to mediate between Russia and Ukraine and offered a proposal to hold a direct meeting between the presidents of the two countries.
Leaders of Iran, Russia, and Turkey also discussed shaping an economic block attended also by China, India, Central Asian, and Eurasian countries, he added.
He opined that forming such a block would undermine the dollar dominance as it would essentially necessitate a native currency to facilitate transactions between members.
Iran would become the main connecting link in the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), as Tehran, Moscow, and Beijing are seriously pursuing the idea because they have been permanent targets of Western sanctions, Hanizadeh continued.
Therefore, the expert said, the outcome of the trilateral meeting in Tehran will be a game changer in the East-West balance in the interest of the nations in the region and lead to a reduction of impact of Western sanctions against Iran, China, and Russia.
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