Erdogan talks bilateral relations with Armenian PM

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have reiterated their commitment to the normalization of bilateral relations during a recent telephone conversation.

Both leaders underscored their political resolve to fully normalize relations between Türkiye and Armenia “without preconditions,” according to a statement from the Communications Directorate on June 18.

In this context, the leaders highlighted the significance of continuing the dialogue between their respective special envoys and affirmed the points of consensus reached thus far.

Additionally, the leaders expressed their satisfaction with the ongoing dialogue between senior officials from Türkiye and Armenia, while also discussing recent developments in the region and international issues, the statement said.

Erdoğan also extended his condolences to Pashinyan for the flood disaster that recently struck northern Armenia. The late May floods resulted in the deaths of four people and the collapse of several bridges.

During the phone call, Pashinyan conveyed his congratulations to Erdoğan on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, to which the Turkish president reciprocated by preemptively celebrating the Armenian leader's Vardavar festival.

Following the Second Karabakh War, which began in September 2020 and lasted 44 days with Baku’s victory over the mountainous region, relations between Ankara and Yerevan started to thaw.

In December 2021, the two nations appointed special envoys to help normalize relations after years. In February 2022, Türkiye and Armenia resumed their first commercial flights after a two-year hiatus.

The land border between the two countries was only briefly reopened for the first time in 30 years in 2023 to facilitate the passage of humanitarian aid to Türkiye’s southern regions following the devastating earthquakes.