How India's alliance with Armenia is paying dividends amid Iran-Israel crisis
Amid escalating hostilities between Iran and Israel, the Indian Embassy in Tehran on Tuesday helped at least 110 stranded students leave the country, facilitating their passage into Armenia through the Nurduz-Agarak border crossing. A special flight carrying evacuees from Yerevan will land in New Delhi in the early hours of Thursday.
Challenge of evacuation
With Iranian airspace shut down indefinitely, evacuations from the country will have to be facilitated through its land borders. This is a particular challenge for India, which shares rather tenuous relations with a few of Iran's neighbours, especially after Operation Sindoor.
Pakistan remains New Delhi's primary geopolitical rival, with whom it only recently had a military conflagration. As such, the border between Iran and Pakistan in the Baloch homeland remains shut for Indian evacuees.
As are Iran's borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan, both of whom professed overt support for Islamabad during Operation Sindoor. New Delhi's relations with Baku and Istanbul have taken a nosedive in recent weeks. On the other hand, India does not have official ties with the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan (to Iran's east) at all.
This leaves three countries through which Indians can theoretically be evacuated — Turkmenistan, Iraq, and Armenia.
Iran's border with Turkmenistan is sparsely populated, especially on the Iranian side, meaning there are significant logistical challenges facilitating evacuations through this frontier. The border with Iraq, on the other hand, lies directly in the line of fire between Iran and Israel. While it remains open at the moment, most of Iraq's airports are shut due to the conflict.
The 44-km-long Iran-Armenia border is thus the most viable option for Indian evacuees, especially since Tehran and the Nurduz-Agarak crossing, some 730 km apart, are well connected by a major highway.
Basis of Delhi-Yerevan ties
It is in this context that years of Indian diplomatic efforts vis-à-vis Armenia are now paying dividends. While India's ties with Armenia date back millenia, the present relationship is a product of a few crucial geopolitical considerations.
* With Turkey and Pakistan firmly in the Azeri camp, India has been a staunch backer of Armenia in its lingering conflict with Azerbaijan, primarily over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave. In recent years, New Delhi has eclipsed even Russia as Armenia's biggest military supplier: a $250 million deal in 2022 saw India supplying Armenia with PINAKA multi-barrel rocket launchers, Akash-1S air defense system, and other armaments.
* Yerevan has supported New Delhi's positions in international fora. Most notably, Armenia has publicly endorsed India's position on resolving the Kashmir issue on a bilateral basis (with Pakistan), and supports India's aspiration for a permanent seat in the expanded UN Security Council.
* Located in the southern Caucasus, Armenia is a crucial cog of the International North-South Transport Corridor, which aims to connect India to Europe through Armenia and Iran. Developing this route is a major geopolitical objective for New Delhi, one which would provide significant stimulus to its economy and establish India as a major player in the region.
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