Armenian nationalists not only obstruct international transit with their intrigues and support for separatism, they destroy the territorial integrity of almost all states. If we look at the "geopolitical plans" of Armenian "strategists", they constantly "divide" Georgia, Turkey and Azerbaijan in their dreams.

Even hypocritically offering Georgia to "participate" in a transit project North-South through Armenia (which is absolutely inefficient from an economic point of view), Armenian nationalists did not even breathe a word about restoration of territorial integrity of Georgia, and their compatriots in Moscow urged Georgians to "reconcile with reality" i.e. with loss of Abkhazia and Samachablo. So far Russia and Iran are not divided in Armenia, but this too is only temporary. As soon as the regimes in Moscow and Tehran "are loosened" one cannot doubt that the Armenian "strategists" will have their plans of division.

The Armenian "strategists" have also "sentenced" Iraq, from which they allocate by default an "independent" Iraqi Kurdistan (most of which they include in their "great Armenia", which they do not very much advertise to the Kurds). Admittedly, there has recently been less enthusiasm for the "freedom-loving" Iraqi Kurds in the Armenian media. For one simple reason - the authorities of the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan, having realised that the well-being of their people lies in constructive cooperation with Turkey, refusing to support terrorists from the so-called Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), have embarked on joint economic projects with Turkey.

Iran has also "entered" Iraq; a large part of the country is in fact occupied by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Although the Shiites in Baghdad, who are "of one mind" with the Tehran ayatollahs, are in fact vassal dependence on the Iranian regime is becoming more and more difficult for the Iraqi authorities. They want peace, stable economic development and guarantees of the territorial integrity of their country, which their Iranian "friends" cannot give them.

Objectively, however, Iraq needs cooperation with Turkey to develop its economy and "cement" the country. First of all, in the matter of international transit, because through Iraq Turkey gets the shortest access to the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. Moreover, transit projects with Turkey's participation can "cement" the country and overcome the threat of separatism and splits along ethnic and religious lines.

And now Turkey and Iraq have recently agreed to create a Turkey-Persian Gulf corridor through all of Iraq, from north to south. However, Iran is excluded from this regional project.

The North-South route would run from Turkey through Iraq's Erbil and Kirkuk with access to the Persian Gulf, bypassing Iranian territory. In the future, this route will reach the Turkish-Azerbaijani border in Nakhichevan in the North and then through the Zangezur corridor to the Aghbend-Fizuli route and then possibly to the Russian-Azerbaijani border. And today, the "shortest route" connects this route from the Persian Gulf with the "East-West" route, passing through Georgia and the Georgian Black Sea ort.

This project, quite realistic and economically beneficial for all parties involved, is the answer to the inherently destructive and economically unsound East-West route that Iran, India and France have been planning to build to the Mediterranean Sea, bypassing Turkish territory. If only because this project did not involve any prospects of eliminating separatist projects in the region, but on the contrary, it fomented them in every possible way, including in Georgia. The Armenian side constantly "tempted" Tbilisi with the prospect of "transit through Abkhazia" without de-occupying it, and in effect forced it to recognise the loss of its lands.

If we look carefully at the route of the Turkey-Persian Gulf route, it is primarily beneficial for Iraq itself, as it will strengthen the country from disintegration. Judge for yourself, the route would pass through Erbil (the administrative capital of Iraqi Kurdistan), Kirkuk (a city historically populated by Turks - Turkomans or Turkmen, very close to Azeris), the Sunni areas of Iraq north of Baghdad, Baghdad itself, and the predominantly Shiite south. If the route works, it will be a guarantee of Iraq's unity and territorial integrity.

It should be taken into account that, with Turkey's support, Iraq has already succeeded in maintaining territorial integrity and restoring peace in regions that have recently been tense. Thus, for example, Iraqi Kurdistan had a tendency to separatism and, had it not been for Turkey's principled position on the unconditional recognition of Iraq's territorial integrity, it could have long ago seceded from Iraq.

Moreover, for a long time Kirkuk was in the hands of Kurdish terrorists affiliated with PKK-affiliated organisations, who essentially carried out ethnic cleansing against the Turkmens or Turkomans, the indigenous Turkic population. But this was the case until the authorities of the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan decided to hold an illegal "referendum" on the so-called "independence" of Iraqi Kurdistan in 2017, in line with the terrorists. This "referendum" was strongly opposed by Turkey, which strengthened its support for the Iraqi authorities, which moved to a determined fight against terrorists and separatists. As a result, Kirkuk was occupied by the Iraqi government army and the original Turkmen residents, who had been expelled by the terrorists, were able to return to the city. In turn, the government of autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan, realising the stalemate of separatism, abandoned its support for the terrorists and, over time, embarked on a course of closer cooperation with Turkey.

Just as Turkey's principled rejection of separatism and violation of the territorial integrity of its neighbouring country helped the Kirkuk Turkmens to return to their homes, Turkey's support for the territorial integrity of Georgia will also help refugees from Abkhazia to return to their homes.  Transit projects involving Turkey in principle offer neither separatism, ethnic cleansing nor "internal" borders in either Iraq or Georgia.

Alexandre Zakhariadze