... justifiably be described as a “fundamental shift” in the regional architecture, which
had remained
static and predictable for several decades. However, one should not expect swift progress on this front either:
news reports
suggest that Pakistan and India have respectively blocked Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s bids for full SCO membership.
There is safety in numbers
A closer look at the individual themes surrounding the 25
th
SCO summit helps to temper the over-enthusiastic tone that often characterizes coverage of the event. ...
... The Indian diplomat and expert Achal Malhotra suggests as follows: “Azerbaijan’s proximity to Pakistan, on behalf of which Azerbaijan has repeatedly promoted the Pakistani position on Kashmir, is a constant irritant for India,” and as a result, India is
interested
in cooperation with Armenia. As
estimated
by Jason Wahlang and Sergei Melkonian, “the total volume of contracts for arms and military equipment [between New Delhi and Yerevan] is about USD 2 billion with a wide range of articles.” New Delhi is also keen on the North-South ...
.... This Ankara-Baku-Islamabad trilateral format became evident in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, when both participants actively supported Azerbaijan's actions. Trilateral cooperation has also inspired India to create its own trilateral format—India, Armenia and Iran. Notably, Armenia has shown clear support for India's approach to Kashmir. This trilateral cooperation focuses mainly on communication and resource management. However, in the future it can be seen as counter to the growing cooperation ...
