Turkish, Armenian top diplomats hold 'productive' meeting to mend ties

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met for talks in southern Turkey on Saturday as part of the neighbours' efforts to mend ties after decades of animosity.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that the meeting with Armenian counterpart was very fruitful, productive and constructive, adding that Azerbaijan also supports the normalization process between Turkey and Armenia.

Following their one-on-one closed-door meeting, Çavuşoğlu thanked Mirzoyan for accepting the invitation to attend the forum, which he said was "open to all" and "a platform where everyone's voice should be heard."

"As you are aware, we have started a process to normalize our relations," he said, citing the "positive messages" of both Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Armenian premier Nikol Pashinyan.

Çavuşoğlu also commented on the normalization talks between the special envoys of the two countries, of which the first was held in Moscow and the second in Vienna.

"Here (at the talks), they (special envoys) also discussed the steps to be taken to normalize our relations," Çavuşoğlu said, noting that he and Mirzoyan had discussed these talks "a little bit and evaluated" them.

The Top Turkish diplomat stressed that Ankara is striving "for stability and peace in the South Caucasus and we receive support from all towards our efforts in this direction."

"Stability and peace in the region are for the benefit of all of us, and we will continue to take steps in this direction," he added, noting that he and Mirzoyan had reached an agreement to do so.

'ARMENIA WORKING TO NORMALIZE WITH TURKEY'

For his part, the Armenian minister said his country is determined to dedicate efforts for peace and stability in the region and that it is working to normalize relations with Turkey.

Mirzoyan also thanked Çavuşoğlu for his invitation to the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, calling the move a "positive sign."

"In our meeting, we agreed to continue the normalization process towards the establishment of unconditional diplomatic relations and the opening of borders," he noted.

Normalization efforts are ongoing between the special envoys, underlined Mirzoyan, hoping that they bear results in the near future.

"We are glad to see that all our neighboring countries are making an effort to establish peace and prosperity in our region. And I would like to express that Armenia is ready to strive for this vision," he added.

TURKEY-ARMENIA RELATIONS

The two met at a diplomatic forum in Antalya. Turkey has had no diplomatic or commercial ties with Armenia since the 1990s but they held talks in January in a first attempt to restore links since a 2009 peace accord, which was never ratified.

Tensions flared during a 2020 war over the Nagorno-Karabakh territory. Turkey accused ethnic Armenian forces of occupying land belonging to Azerbaijan. Turkey has since called for a rapprochement, as it seeks greater regional influence.

Turkish-Armenian relations entered a new phase after both countries appointed special representatives, which held their first meeting on Jan. 14 in Moscow.

The two countries have said the January talks were "positive and constructive," raising the prospect that ties could be restored and borders reopened.

The envoys from Turkey and Armenia, Serdar Kiılıç and Ruben Rubinyan, held their second meeting in Vienna on Feb. 24 and "reiterated their agreement to continue the process without preconditions."

The three-day high-level Antalya Diplomacy Forum in the resort city of Antalya in southern Turkey has brought together participants from 75 countries, including 17 heads of state, 80 government ministers, and 39 representatives of international organizations. Anadolu Agency is the forum's global communications partner.