Regional interaction of Iran and Azerbaijan in the countries of Central Asia
The unusual merger of key events helped form the basis for the development of Iran-Central Asian relations. The end of the Iran-Iraq war, the death of Khomeini and the coming to power of Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani and a stronger presidency played a big role in the development of a more pragmatic foreign policy for the Islamic Republic. This change meant creating pragmatic goals and Iran’s own national interests over idealistic themes, such as exporting the Islamic revolution. The implosion of the Soviet Union in 1991 came as a shock to the ruling elites of Central Asia, and also opened up new opportunities for the Iranian leadership, which sought to demonstrate its authority as a reliable partner for the new independent states. The Rafsanjani Presidency showed great commitment to regionalism on the part of Iran, reflecting global trends after the Cold War, and Iran sought to build ties with Central Asia through the expanded Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO). Until recently, Iran’s focus on building these relations had two important aspects: one of them was the ability to reduce its international isolation and build relations with its new neighbors as a means of reducing the burden of American deterrence policy; the other maintained good relations with a key arms supplier in Russia and did not pursue a policy in Central Asia that would counter it.