Turkey and Armenia are exchanging positive statements to restore bilateral relations, Open Caucasus Media said on Monday.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday said his country was ready to normalise relations with the Armenia after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Turkey had been sending “positive signals” to his country and that Yerevan would respond in kind.
“Turkey can work toward gradually normalising relations with an Armenian government that states it is ready for such progress,” said on Sunday, in response to Pashinyan, who saidthat Yerevan would evaluate Turkey’s gestures for the establishment of peace in the region and respond its positive signals likewise.
“We need a constructive approach in our region. Even if there are disagreements, neighbourly relations should be developed on the basis of respect of territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Erdoğan said.
Diplomatic relations between Turkey and Armenia have been suspended since 1993 because of Armenia’s Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan, which Turkey sided with Baku. The Armenian-Turkish border has also remained closed, since then.
Two bilateral protocols were signed between Turkey and Armenia in Zurich in 2009, aiming towards the normalisation of relations between the two countries. The protocols were heavily criticised domestically in both countries, and were never ratified by the legislatures of either.
Beyond historical controversies, Turkey’s political and military support for Azerbaijan during last year’s Nagorno-Karabakh war that ended with Baku’s victory, also has been a factor in the worsening of Turkey-Armenia relations.
Opening the Armenia and Turkey border would benefit both countries, Richard Giragosian, the Director of the Yerevan-based think tank the Regional Studies Centre told OC Media.
For Turkey, it could help normalising it’s fractured relations with the West, Giragosian said.
“Armenia could also serve as a bridge for Turkey to leverage Armenia’s membership in the Eurasian Economic Union,’’ he said.
This also could bring economic benefits to Armenia, according to Giragosian, that would likely lead to “more formal cooperation in the key areas of customs and border security.’’
