A groundbreaking Turkish-Armenian meeting will take place in Prague
The talks are to take place at the highest level between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Armenian Prime Minister Nikola Pashinyan.
The Armenian Embassy did not confirm the meeting to Novinka, but did not deny it either. It only said that it was necessary to ask the press department of the government or the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, he has not yet answered the question.
The meeting is groundbreaking because Armenia does not have established diplomatic relations with Turkey. Ankara did recognize Armenia in 1991, but only within the borders of the former Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, i.e. without Nagorno-Karabakh. When Armenia controlled it and the adjacent districts in the war with Azerbaijan, Turkey closed the border with Armenia in 1993.
Attempts to normalize relations between 2008 and 2009 failed as Turkey continued to support Azerbaijan and aid it in the military field as well.
The situation began to change only after the Armenian-Azerbaijani war of 2020, which Armenia lost and lost the district around Nagorno-Karabakh and part of this area. This year the situation began to change, since January they met four times with the special envoys of both countries, once in Moscow and three times in Vienna. During this year’s Diploma Forum Antalya together in March, they met for the first time foreign affairs both in July together on the phone Turkish and Armenian Prime Minister and Turkish President.
Negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia
In mid-September, however, the heaviest clashes took place between Armenia and Azerbaijan-backed Turkey, in which 286 soldiers died. It seemed that negotiations would be deadlocked, but the opposite is true. On Sunday, the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Ararat Mirzoyan and Dzheyhun Bayramov, met in Geneva to discuss the draft peace treaty.
Armenia and Azerbaijan agree on a ceasefire. 176 soldiers died
Foreign
however, the two sides seem incompatible, Baku demands “the complete withdrawal of all Armenian armed forces from the territory of Azerbaijan (including Nagorno-Karabakh) and the opening of transport and communication lines”, by which is meant a guaranteed connection with the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan. However, the Armenian Foreign Ministry commented on the meeting saying: “The parties exchanged ideas regarding the peace treaty and ensuring the rights and security of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.” It demands the withdrawal of Azerbaijani soldiers from Armenian territory, the release of prisoners of war and the implementation of an international mechanism to control the situation on the border. Earlier, the two foreign ministers met on September 20 for talks in New York brokered by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
Greek-Turkish negotiations at the highest level in Prague?
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is also willing to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the European summit in Prague this week, if Erdogan is interested in such a meeting. The Kathimerini daily reported this on Monday with reference to the spokesman of the Greek government.
“If the Turkish president, who has raised tensions with his statements, wants to meet the Greek prime minister, the Greek side will evaluate this and respond positively,” Mitsotakis’ spokesman said. He reiterated that the Greek side was in favor of the meeting and said that the red lines were clear.