Strategic Council Online—Interview: An expert of international issues says the United States irresponsible withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan has disrupted the relative stability in that country as the US is trying in addition to creating instability in the region, manage the Afghan crisis to create a threat for its rivals in the region.
Strategic Council Online – Former Chief of Afghanistan Headquarters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that if the Tajiks enter the field of resistance against the Taliban, they will most likely have the support of the Uzbeks, Hazaras, Turkmen, other ethnic groups and even some Pashtuns, adding: Ethnic groups in Afghanistan have so far waited to see where the situation of the Taliban and resistance of the military against them will lead. The Taliban have not taken a stand against other ethnic groups and are trying not to turn the issue into an ethnic conflict.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An expert of Central Asian affairs says the recent visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to the four main Central Asian states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan bears geopolitical and strategic significance given the recent developments such as the nuclear talks and the 25-year cooperation agreement between Iran and China.
Strategic Council Online – An analyst on Caucasus affairs said: It seems that one of the consequences of the Second Karabakh War and lack of the Russian support for Armenia was that Russia, under geopolitical and territorial pressure, influenced the energy transfer issue and brought the war to a point to play its role in the ceasefire.
Strategic Council Online – The Islamic Republic of Iran can use the principle of balancing and diversification, to increase its presence in the Central Asian region.
Vali Kouzegar Kaleji – senior researcher at the Center for Strategic Studies of the President’s Office