After the conclusion of the 44-day Karabakh war, Iran, Russia, and France expressed interest in opening their consulates in Gafan. This interest arose amid tensions surrounding the “Zangezur Corridor” and repeated warnings about the potential outbreak of a new regional war due to its opening.
Iran was the first to reach an agreement with the Armenian government and opened its consulate in Gafan in October 2022. In November 2022, the Armenian government approved the agreement to open a Russian consulate in Gafan, but it has not yet been realized.
In July 2023, a group of French parliamentarians urged then-Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna to open a consulate in Gafan. They argued that opening consulates in the capital of Syunik, Gafan, or Goris would be an important step towards preserving Armenia’s territorial integrity and would contribute to regional stability and cooperation between Paris and Yerevan. However, France’s intentions have not progressed beyond parliamentary appeals, and there is no information about diplomatic negotiations on this matter.
The desire of Iran and Russia, as well as the French politicians’ initiative to open consulates in Gafan, is primarily driven by geopolitical factors. While the consulates’ primary mission is to provide various documents and services to their citizens, in this case, Iran, Russia, and France aim to establish their presence in Zangezur through diplomatic missions.
Paruyr Hovhannisyan, Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia, stated last year that the opening of the Russian consulate in Gafan indicates a high interest in the region. He noted that the consulate has a political component and signifies interest in the region with all the ensuing consequences. He also mentioned that there is an Iranian consulate in Kapan and that France has expressed a desire to open one as well, although this is more about trade-economic relations and decentralized cooperation.
When asked whether Russia’s dissatisfaction with the constant postponement of its consulate’s opening in Gafan hinders the process, Hovhannisyan replied that “there are disagreements with all partners.”
A few days ago, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Yevgeny Ivanov told TASS that Moscow expects the consulate to open in Gafan by the end of the year. However, the Yerevan newspaper “Graparak” reported that members of the ruling Civil Contract party, under government orders, are trying to prevent this.
“Graparak” claims that one of the active opponents is MP Marina Kazaryan, who initiated a petition to present to the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on behalf of Gafan residents opposing the consulate’s opening. Despite this, Gafan Mayor Gevorg Parsyan, who has close ties with the Russian ambassador in Armenia, has already allocated a premises for the Russian consulate and is actively working to open it by the end of the year.
The newspaper notes that last week, Parsyan did not meet Prime Minister Pashinyan during his visit to Syunik, and has not participated in regional council meetings for a long time, sending a deputy instead.
It is also worth noting that Russia wants to open consulates not only in Zangezur but also in Karabakh. Last month, Grigory Karasin, chairman of the Federation Council’s International Affairs Committee, announced in Moscow during a meeting with Azerbaijani MP Samed Seyidov that Russia plans to open a consulate in Khankendi by autumn this year and expressed hope that “his Azerbaijani colleagues will support this process.”
The public reaction of Seyidov to this issue was not disclosed during the meeting, nor has the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry commented on it. Karasin justified the plans to open a consulate in Khankendi by the desire to “create parity with Azerbaijan.” Azerbaijani consulates operate in Yekaterinburg and St. Petersburg, while Russia has no consulates in Azerbaijan.
It is important to clarify that consulates are typically opened in regions where citizens of the respective country live and work. Since there are no Russian citizens in Khankendi, Russia’s desire to open a diplomatic mission in this Karabakh city raises natural questions among the Azerbaijani public.
Meanwhile, the process seems to be ongoing, and the parties are conducting diplomatic negotiations. On June 25, the 11th consular consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan and Russia took place in Baku.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry reported that the consultations were led by the head of the Consular Department of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Emil Safarov and the director of the Consular Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexei Klimov, with representatives from the Azerbaijani Ministry of Justice and State Migration Service also participating.
During the consultations, they exchanged views on the current situation and prospects for consular cooperation between the two countries, including the signing of bilateral documents and the possibilities for digitalizing consular services. They also discussed protecting the rights and freedoms of citizens of both countries and providing consular assistance.
Ilkin Shafiyev
Translated from haqqin.az
