Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Diyarbakır MP Garo Paylan has welcomed the meeting of Armeni̇a's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan and Turkey's Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu in Antalya Diplomacy Forum in southern Turkey on Saturday (March 12).
After the meeting was held, Minister Çavuşoğlu said that "it was a very efficient and constructive meeting" and recalled that special envoys have been appointed as part of the normalization process.
He has also shared the following message on Twitter:
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Continued our meetings at
@AntalyaDF with Foreign Ministers @Vbiruta of #Rwanda, @AraratMirzoyan of #Armenia & @IKRPresident of #KRG.————————-
As reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), Çavuşoğlu commented on this meeting with Mirzoyan at the closing speech of the Forum.
Çavuşoğlu stated that Armenia's Foreign Minister "voiced Yerevan's willingness to launch peace talks with Azerbaijan," underlining that "both Turkey and Azerbaijan are keen on the stability of the region". Çavuşoğlu added that "Armenia should respond to this position."
"We are not talking about a conflict, a dispute, a mediation. Everyone, of course, should do their part for the stability of the region," he noted.
Emphasizing that "Turkey supports all steps to be taken between Armenia and Azerbaijan," Çavuşoğlu further noted that "Ankara also supports the projects they agree to implement as soon as possible."
After the meeting was made public, HDP MP Garo Paylan has also shared a social media message in Turkish, English and Armenian, defining the meeting as "a hopeful moment". The MP has said:
Foreign ministers of Turkey and Armenia Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Ararat Mirzoyan have met in Antalya Diplomacy Forum for the first senior level meeting in the normalization process between two countries. A hopeful moment. Let's keep the momentum!
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and
have met in Antalya Diplomacy Forum for the first senior level meeting in the normalization process between two countries.
A hopeful moment.
Let’s keep the momentum!
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To develop the relations between Turkey and Armeni̇a, the "Protocol on the Development of Bilateral Relations" was signed by Turkey's the then Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and Armeni̇a's the then Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbantyan on October 11, 2009.
Signed in Zurich in Switzerland, the "Protocol on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations" foresaw that the two states would recognize each other's borders. But no progress was made and protocols became invalid.
In January 2022, Turkey and Armenia appointed special envoys to normalize relations. Serdar Kılıç, a former ambassador to the United States, has been appointed as Turkey's envoy, according to a presidential decision published in the Official Gazette on January 11, 2022.
Shortly afterwards, a FlyOne passenger jet took off from Armenia to Turkey for the first time on February 2. The flight was carried out as part of the normalization process between Turkey and Armenia. Pegasus Airlines are also to operate flights between İstanbul and Yerevan thrice a week, according to Turkey's Transport and Infrastructure Ministry. (RT/SD)