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India and Armenia are both ancient civilizations and the people of both the countries are known to each other since ancient times. As a tiny landlocked country up in the Caucasus Mountains on the northern border of Iran, Armenia was never known for its military power and that situation has not changed till date. Observers of latest political news from the South Caucasus region where Armenia is located, know very well that this tiny ancient country has paid a heavy price in the past for its military weakness. Unfortunately, it is still paying a heavy price today.
Victim of a hostile and unreliable neighbourhood
The map above clearly shows that land-locked Armenia is over 3,000 Kms west of India and is literally unapproachable without the permission of any of Armenia’s neighbours to pass through their territory to reach this tiny country as per today political news.
It is a bad geography for any country even with friendly neighbours and here in the case of Armenia, it is actually worse. To its west lies Turkey, a country that had forcibly captured more than one half of original Armenia and generally spread death and destruction across the country on an industrial scale including the genocide of over a million Armenians in the early 20th century.
Turkey of course vehemently denies these charges which is understandable. To the east and southwest of Armenia lies its most hostile rival and enemy, Azerbaijan with which Armenia has fought three wars since its independence after the disintegration of the former Soviet Union.
To the south across the narrowest part of Armenia’s border lies Iran, a Shiaite Muslim nation but incredibly enough, is hostile towards Azerbaijan, which also happens to be a Shiaite Muslim nation. That’s not all because Iran currently supports and helps Armenia in its war against Azerbaijan going by latest political news.
To the north of Armenia lies Georgia, the only Christian country in its neighbourhood that it relies upon for access to Europe and the rest of the world.
Is Armenia important for India’s Middle Eastern policy?
Any Indian policymaker who is a realist and puts his/her head over his/her heart before framing a policy, would say that Armenia is not in a position to offer any real strategic value to India.
However, India is evolving as a different kind of great power from the ones that the world has been used to so far. Both history and the current world order clearly show that all great powers have displayed predatory instincts even if that vary by degrees from one great power to another.
India’s current policy of supplying sophisticated weaponry to Armenia is partly geopolitical and partly on the basis of moral obligation towards a country with a tragic history similar to India if one goes by today political news.
Beyond that it would amount to unprecedented overreach by India in a country where it does not make any geopolitical sense for it get involved too deeply.
Since Armenia is not accessible other than through its neighbours that have a sea coast, it is pointless for India to try and pursue a geopolitical strategy in that country which may not sync with the country providing land access to Armenia.
Iran has stopped allowing Indian arms shipments to Armenia
It is still not clear why Iran has decided to stop allowing Indian arms shipments to Armenia now. However, the latest political news point toward Iran’s close strategic ties with Russia, which might have asked Iran to put a brake on the Indian shipments.
Why Russia is doing so is a topic for another discussion on another day but what geopolitical observers in India need to understand is that Armenia is an immediate neighbour of both Iran and Russia but not of India.
Given Armenia’s landlocked geography, India would always have to depend on Armenia’s neighbours with which it has a close relationship, to allow access.
Hence, India cannot hope to pursue any meaningful geopolitical strategy in Armenia with such major barriers in getting access to that country.
Source: ArmenianWeekly
Does India have other options of helping Armenia?
To be honest about it, there are no options for India to help Armenia with much-needed military supplies and gradually build a close geostrategic relationship with this country.
As per the latest political news, Armenia’s geography is its biggest disadvantage and it is being ruthlessly utilized by neighbours it has relied upon to stand up against the intimidation by Turkey and its ally, Azerbaijan.
India has another option to work around the Iran barrier if it chooses to use the option, which is to move Armenia’s arms shipments via the India Middle East Europe Corridor (IMEEC) route up to Greece. Thereafter, use the Greece-Bulgaria land-bridge to avoid the Turkish-controlled sea route to the Black Sea and reach the Georgian coast.
From there it’s just a few hours’ drive to landlocked Armenia. Interestingly, the only barrier on the IMEEC route is India’s close partner, Israel.
This does appear to be a bit of a circuitous route but if all the countries on the route agree, then it won’t be a problem at all. However, that could upset India’s close relations with Russia.
Greece, Bulgaria and Georgia are Armenia’s fellow orthodox Christian countries and they sympathize with the grave security threat faced by Armenia from the alliance of Turkey and Azerbaijan.
For India as well as other orthodox Christian countries of the Balkan region, it should be more a question of saving Armenia from the over-ambitious adventurism of Turkey and the vendetta-driven policy of Azerbaijan against Armenia. There is no doubt that the greatest orthodox Christian nation, Russia has let Armenia down by prioritizing its geopolitical objectives over its moral obligations toward a fellow orthodox Christian nation. As far as Iran’s help to Armenia is concerned, there is no other consideration than to retain Armenia as a buffer between itself and Turkey in the southern Caucasus region.
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