THE PROBLEM OF THE FORMER IRANIAN LANDS OF THE SOUTH CAUCASUS FROM A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

The article presents the issue of Iranian lands in the South Caucasus – from ancient times to the fall of the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic. The South Caucasus was shown as one geopolitical entity that was ruled by neighboring powers, including Iran, Russia, and Turkey over the years. The author proves that relations between regional countries are deeply rooted in the historical background which causes different historiographies. Due to the fact historiography is used in politics and territorial claims, Armenian and Iranian historiographies are opposed to Azerbaijani’s official narrative. The author’s main goal was to underline the historical context of contemporary Iranian-Azerbaijani relations as well as the specificity of Iran’s historical contacts with the countries and peoples of the South Caucasus.