Iran opened a consulate last year in Kapan, the administrative center of the Syunik region in southern Armenia. Russia has now announced that it intends to follow suit, and local sources said the Americans and French are also considering setting up consular posts in Kapan. If that were to happen, four major powers would have a diplomatic presence in a relatively remote small town in southern Armenia with a population of just over 40,000. On the one hand, all of this shows how important this part of the South Caucasus has become basically overnight - having previously been almost completely forgotten for decades. There is also now a growing awareness of the opportunities and dangers that the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan holds. A two-day trip to Syunik, to the southernmost point of Meghri on the Iranian border, was brimming with insights and insights.
