While Yerevan panics, Tehran and Baku build the future The collapse of Armenian fantasies

The official visit of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to Azerbaijan has triggered a predictable wave of panic in Armenia. While the Armenian government has not issued an official statement regarding the visit, the country’s expert community is desperately attempting to downplay its significance.

So-called “Iranologist” Vardan Voskanyan, on the eve of Pezeshkian’s arrival in Baku, boldly predicted that the visit would “practically change nothing in the complex web of bilateral issues, many of which are essentially unsolvable.” As events have shown, this was a pitiful and primitive lie—a classic case of wishful thinking.

Deputy Chairman of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce, Mining, and Agriculture Hossein Pirmoazzen, announcing the visit, stated at a meeting of the Government–Private Sector Dialogue Council that a delegation of 120 representatives from the private sector, members of the Iran-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Friendship Group, as well as governors of four northwestern provinces of the Islamic Republic, would arrive in Baku.

Voskanyan didn’t even bother to look into the essence of the visit. He conveniently “forgot” that Iran and Azerbaijan have set an ambitious goal — to boost bilateral trade to $10 billion annually within the next five years.

The Iranian president’s visit to Baku was undoubtedly a significant step toward achieving that goal. In school, such sloppy homework from Voskanyan would have earned him a stern: “Sit down, that’s a D!”

During the Iranian President’s visit to Baku, a substantial package of mutually beneficial agreements was signed. But this wasn’t the only point where Voskanyan fell flat. In a clear display of panic, he pushed a false narrative — claiming that the planned overland connection between mainland Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan via Iranian territory was merely a crude instrument of pressure on Armenia.

In reality, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in an interview with AzTV, clarified the nature of the project:
“We took the initiative to establish a land route between mainland Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan. Today, this project is moving forward at a rapid pace. It has already been agreed upon, and no problems are expected.”

He further noted that the initiative would also boost connectivity between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Iranian provinces of Tabriz, Ardabil, and West Azerbaijan.
This transport corridor — which includes the construction of a highway and related infrastructure near the village of Aghband in Azerbaijan’s Zangilan district — will bypass Armenia entirely.

The project aims to resolve Nakhchivan’s isolation and has the potential to reshape the geopolitical landscape of the South Caucasus. It could reduce Armenia’s strategic importance as a transit route — which explains Vardan Voskanyan’s hysteria. Yet his outburst, like the musings of various other Armenian “experts,” had no impact whatsoever. The Iranian President’s visit to Baku was a resounding success and will only deepen the alignment between the two countries.

In Armenia — and among global Armenian circles — there’s a deep-seated wish to see Azerbaijani-Iranian relations strained and problematic, just as they once hoped that 20% of the Azerbaijani territory would remain under Armenian occupation forever. But reality tells a different story: Azerbaijan has fully restored its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and is now actively rebuilding its liberated lands.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian made a clear and resolute statement on this issue: “We recognize the right of you, Azerbaijan, and the dear Azerbaijani people to Karabakh and other territories that Azerbaijan must reclaim. We believe that Karabakh is an integral part of Azerbaijan, and we respect this.”

It remains unclear how many heart pills Armenian “experts” had to take after hearing these words. But one thing is certain: both in Armenia and among the global Armenian diaspora, there remains a deep inability to accept a simple truth — Azerbaijan has long been the political, economic, and military leader of the South Caucasus.

The country plays a truly unique role on the global political stage — and that status was established even before its historic victory in the 44-day war.

In October 2019, at the 18th Summit held in Baku, Azerbaijan was unanimously elected to chair the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), with all 120 member states supporting its candidacy.

Since then, Azerbaijan’s position on the world stage has only grown stronger. The signing of the Declaration on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with China marks yet another major success for the country, opening significant opportunities for cooperation within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), while also helping to address a broad range of critical issues — particularly in the economic sphere.

It’s also worth recalling that recently, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, visited Baku. She was received by President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov. During her visit, Kallas stressed that Azerbaijan is a key partner for the EU and plays a vital role in the Union’s energy security. She also expressed gratitude to Azerbaijan for its humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.

Armenia has nothing comparable to show. Nor does it play any mediating role in Turkish-Israeli relations. By contrast, Azerbaijan has already earned recognition as a credible and trusted communicator in this arena — a role that is valued globally.

Armenia remains exactly where it has been for years: at the bottom of a regional pit into which it willingly leapt — held back by myths, delusions, inferiority complexes, and a persistent refusal to accept geopolitical reality.