Last month, Azerbaijan agreed with Turkmenistan and Afghanistan to develop the Lapis Lazuli transport corridor, which would link the war-ravaged country to Turkey. At about the same time, Kazakhstan began exporting copper cathodes to Turkey via Azerbaijan in a first step intended to capitalize on the Caucasian nation’s position as a transit hub. Turkey has refused to recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea, home to the Crimean Tartars, and criticized Russian support for Ukrainian rebels. Viewed from Tehran, TGRT’s broadcasting of the Stratfor map was the latest in a series of provocative Turkish moves. While senior Iranian officials downplayed the Turkish provocations, Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency left little doubt about Tehran’s true sentiments.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 14, 2021 03:11 UTC