Iran's hydropolitic challenge with Türkiye and the countries of the region Caucasus (Azerbaijan and Armenia) in Aras: conflict or cooperation

The Aras River is considered as one of the border or neighbouring and international rivers; so that the four independent political entities of Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia are looking for their own special, common and overlapping interests due to the multiple functions of the said river and thus the two issues of water and politics, a series of conflicts and controversies (negative hydropolitics). And it has generated relations and cooperation (positive hydropolitics) among the riparian states of the said river. This river is sensitive and important in terms of regional cooperation, because it crosses the borders of countries and forms a long length of border. The fluid nature of water has made it very difficult, complex and multidimensional to resolve the issues surrounding it among political entities, including governments. Based on this, due to the complexity of the hydropolitics of Iran and the neighbouring countries in the Caucasus region (Azerbaijan and Armenia) and the Asian-European country, Turkey has faced a challenge. This paper examines the areas of convergence and divergence influenced by different geopolitical components among the countries of the Aras Basin and presents proposed models. The results show that this river is the bed of special tourist attractions and positive ecosystem effects. Bilateral cooperation in exploiting its potentials in the agricultural and energy sectors is carried out equally between Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Armenia has joint cooperation with Turkey. However, the water quality of the Aras River has been degraded as a result of actions and exploitation mainly carried out by Armenia and Turkey, and the quantity of water has also been affected by uncoordinated dam construction and indiscriminate use for various purposes. The erosion of the banks, the movement and accumulation of sediments and the occurrence of floods may cause problems, but the non-participation of Armenia and Turkey in the joint exploitation commissions, the pollution of the Aras River, the Karabakh conflict, etc. are among the most important factors of divergence between the countries of the basin. It is the Aras River. Therefore, the joint use and environmental protection of the Aras River and its role in other areas require a review and a convergence approach in all relations, so that the principled exploitation of its resources is carried out under a specific legal framework and conflicts are avoided in the coming years.