Abstract:

After declaring its independence in 1991, Armenia has pursued an aggressive policy to continue the occupation of territories of Azerbaijan and maintain control in these lands. In this regard, Armenia has tried to benefit from the Islamic Republic of Iran, as the Islamic Republic of Iran is a neighbouring country with Armenia as well as one of the biggest states in the region. The Islamic Republic of Iran, on the other hand, saw the Caucasus as a region where could pursue an active foreign policy in the post-Soviet period and sought to gain influence in the processes taking place. Simultaneously, in the early periods, Iran claimed the role of a fair mediator between the countries of the region, and in the following phases, a neutral neighbour that developed relations with both sides. Several issues determine the urgency of the study in this area: the level of military cooperation between Armenia and the Islamic Republic of Iran in the post-1991 period; and the impact of geopolitical processes on the development and decline of these relations in the following years. On the other hand, this study allows us to understand the security interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the region, to clarify how the military, security and customs documents, signed between Armenia and Iran, reflect the interests of the states. The methodological principles of political realism were preferred as a theoretical framework for the research of the topic, and the methods of comparative analysis, content analysis and event analysis were applied during the study. The new research method – development indicators were introduced and tried to determine the level of development of relations between Armenia and Iran. For the first time, the military and security relations between Armenia and the Islamic Republic of Iran were determined on a scientific basis, the development dynamics of relationships were analyzed based on signed documents, as well as the impact of geopolitical processes on militarysecurity relations was determined.

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