Turkey and Armenia Resume Talks to Normalize Diplomatic Relations

Special representatives from Turkey and Armenia will convene a new round of discussions on Tuesday to normalize relations after a two-year hiatus. Diplomatic and commercial ties were severed in 1993 due to a conflict, but efforts to restore relations have been ongoing. Progress depends on peace talks with Azerbaijan.

Special representatives from Turkey and Armenia are set to recommence negotiations aimed at normalizing relations on Tuesday, according to a Turkish diplomatic source. This marks a renewed effort to mend ties after a two-year pause in diplomatic discussions.

Turkey had initially severed its diplomatic and commercial relations with Armenia in 1993 in support of Azerbaijan during their conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. In recent years, Turkey has strengthened its political and military alliance with ethnically Turkic Azerbaijan. Despite this, Turkey, a NATO member, has been striving to improve historically strained relations with Armenia. However, Ankara has stated that any normalization with Yerevan would hinge on the progress of peace talks with Azerbaijan.

The upcoming meeting on the Turkish-Armenian border will mark the fifth round of such talks. A Turkish source noted that during the meeting, special representatives will review developments and discuss potential confidence-building measures between the two nations. The Armenian foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed the meeting on social media platform X.

The last official meeting between Turkish and Armenian officials occurred in July 2022, although representatives met earlier this year at a diplomacy forum in southern Turkey. The two nations remain divided over the 1915 killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire, which Armenia considers genocide—a claim Turkey disputes.

(With inputs from agencies.)