Georgia and Iran: Opportunities and Constraints for Co-operation

Abstract

This paper examines the main characteristics of Georgian–Iranian relations since 1991. The following issues are discussed: incompatibility in the perception of historical interactions; Iranian policies towards the South Caucasus states after the dissolution of the Soviet empire and the place of Georgia within it; the influence of political issues on the economic interactions of the two countries; the effect of the Russian factor on Georgian-Iranian relations; and the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war and Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict on Georgian-Iranian relations. It is stressed that the incompatibility of political interests rules out the possibility of rapprochement between these countries.