Erdogan: Normalization with Armenia depends on Yerevan-Baku relations

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
10 Nov 2022 14:02

The Turkish President notes that there is no positive dynamic in sight between Yerevan and Baku.

A photograph of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

Normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan is a prerequisite to the normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey - however, there is no positive dynamic in sight for the time being, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"Our last meeting with the Armenian side took place in Prague. We told them clearly: if you [Armenia] steer relations with Azerbaijan in a positive direction, relations with Turkey will also develop positively. We are expecting this from Yerevan, but there is no such picture yet," Erdogan told journalists before leaving for the Organization of Turkic States summit in Uzbekistan.

The Turkish leader noted that the Armenian diaspora in France and the US were pressuring the Armenian government to impede the process of normalizing the dialogue with Turkey.

Turkey and Armenia do not have official diplomatic relations to this day: their borders have been closed on the basis of a Turkey initiative in 1993. Turkey's support for Azerbaijan, particularly in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and its refusal to acknowledge the 1915 Armenian genocide have increased tensions between Ankara and Yerevan.

In early October, Erdogan met with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit in the Czech Republic.

In late October, Pashinyan said that he looks forward to signing a peace treaty with Azerbaijan by the end of the year.

He announced that Yerevan will initiate a meeting of CSTO leaders to discuss the situation on the borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan, waiting for a clear assessment of the situation.

Over the past 30 years, Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars. In the 2020 conflict, which lasted for 6 weeks, over 6,500 troops died from both sides, and it ended with a Russia-mediated ceasefire.