Turkish, Armenian special envoys to hold normalisation talks in Russia

Moscow is set to host the first meeting between Turkish and Armenian special envoys to discuss steps for normalising ties between the two countries.

Speaking at a year-end evaluation of Turkiye’s foreign policy, Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday the special envoys of each country should first speak over the phone and decide on the date and place of a face-to-face meeting.
“Our impression is that the first meeting will take place in Moscow, as Armenia desires. Aside from the first meeting, we also want communication to be held directly … We have mutually appointed special envoys to speak directly,” Cavusoglu said.
He said a roadmap towards normalising ties needed to be set, adding that this would be on the first meeting’s agenda.
Noting that charter flights between Turkiye and Armenia would soon begin, he reiterated that Turkiye was pursuing its normalisation discussions in consultation and coordination with Azerbaijan.
Armenia’s rhetoric has so far been positive, said the Turkiye’s top diplomat, adding that Turkiye wanted to action, as well.Citing the attempts in 2009 by Turkiye and Armenia to normalise relations, Cavusoglu said that though this previous attempt had been conducted in “good faith,” the new process was separate.
“Within the framework of this process, new steps must be taken to normalise relations. This will be important for the stability, peace, and prosperity of the Caucasus,” he said.
On December 15, Turkiye appointed Serdar Kilic, a former ambassador to the US, as its special envoy to discuss steps for normalisation with Armenia.
Three days later, Armenia also appointed its special representative for dialogue with Turkiye, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Ruben Rubinyan.

Azerbaijan supports normalisation
Azerbaijan “fully supports” the normalisation of relations between neighboring Turkiye and Armenia, the Azerbaijani foreign minister said on Monday.
Speaking at a year-end evaluation of Azerbaijan’s foreign policy, Jeyhun Bayramov said Azerbaijan and Turkiye favor relations with all countries on the basis of international law.
“The basis for the normalisation of interstate relations can only be international law,” he said.
“Both Azerbaijan and Turkiye have always shown this attitude. We’re in favor of improving our relations with all countries and neighbors on the basis of international law, and we are doing this. The exception so far on this list has been Armenia. We offer the same proposal to Armenia.”