YEREVAN—On July 30, the special representatives overseeing the settlement process between Armenia and Turkey, Deputy Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly Ruben Rubinyan and Ambassador Serdar Kilic, convened for their fifth meeting. The session took place at the Margara-Alijan border crossing point between the two nations.
During the meeting, the representatives reaffirmed the agreements established in their previous discussions. They also addressed technical requirements related to recent regional developments, specifically focusing on making the Akhurik/Akyaka railway border crossing operational. Additionally, they agreed to streamline visa procedures for holders of diplomatic and official passports.
The representatives underscored their commitment to advancing the settlement process without preconditions, with the ultimate goal of achieving comprehensive normalization between Armenia and Turkey.
This meeting follows their last encounter in late February 2024, which took place during a diplomatic forum in Antalya. At that time, both sides agreed to schedule another round of negotiations, although there was a subsequent delay.
Initially planned for July 3, the meeting was postponed by the Turkish side. The latest talks were held in a dual format, with representatives meeting first on the Armenian side in the morning and then on the Turkish side in the afternoon.
Stanislav Tarasov, an expert on the region, commented on the current state of negotiations. He highlighted that since the appointment of special representatives by Yerevan and Ankara in December 2021, progress has been slow. An agreement reached in July 2022 in Vienna aimed to facilitate border crossings and direct air cargo transportation between Armenia and Turkey, but its implementation has been delayed. Although Ankara lifted the ban on direct cargo air transportation in January 2023 and the two parties agreed in March 2023 to open the border for third-country citizens and diplomatic passport holders, these measures have yet to be enacted.
Tarasov noted that the staged format of the current meetings reflects the ongoing challenges in the negotiation process. He observed that, despite statements from both sides about their readiness to resolve issues without preconditions, the settlement scenario remains as it was in 1993, when Turkey closed the border in support of Azerbaijan during the first Artsakh war. According to Tarasov, Turkey’s position is that normalization with Armenia is contingent upon the resolution of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
In an interview with ABC Media, Turkologist Tiran Lokmagozyan commented on the latest meeting, stating, “As with the previous four meetings, no significant decisions will emerge from this session.”
“The primary objective of these meetings has been to expedite decisions on Armenian-Azerbaijani relations without involving other nations,” Lokmagozyan explained.
Lokmagozyan noted that the agreement to open the Armenian-Turkish border to citizens of third countries has not yet been implemented. He pointed out that Azerbaijanis are the primary beneficiaries of this potential opening. Turkey has insisted on additional security guarantees for Azerbaijani citizens, which has stalled the process.
When questioned about the purpose of continuing these meetings if they do not resolve any issues, Lokmagozyan suggested that the meetings are intended to maintain the momentum of the negotiation process, even if substantive progress remains elusive.
In an interview with the Weekly, Kristine Vardanyan, MP of the “Hayastan” faction of the Armenian National Assembly, offered a critical assessment of the latest meeting between Armenian and Turkish special representatives. Vardanyan characterized the meeting as largely ineffective and indicative of Turkey’s ongoing strategy to coerce further concessions from Armenia.
Vardanyan’s critique follows a recent provocative statement by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He suggested that Turkey could one day intervene in Israel, similar to its past actions in Nagorno-Karabakh and Libya. Erdogan made these comments during an interview broadcast on Halk TV on July 29.
“Just as we entered Karabakh and Libya, we may also take steps regarding Israel. Nothing is impossible; we must be strong enough to undertake such actions,” Erdogan said. His remarks have sparked significant discussion, reflecting Turkey’s aggressive stance in regional geopolitics.
It is noteworthy that in response to Erdogan’s remarks, Azerbaijan issued a statement denying any foreign military involvement in its territorial disputes. The statement claimed that Turkey’s support for Azerbaijan in the war was purely political.
According to Vardanyan, Erdogan’s statement underscores the lack of genuine reconciliation efforts from Turkey, which she argues is engaged in a process of extracting additional concessions from Armenia.
She highlighted that despite ongoing Armenian-Turkish dialogue over the past three years, tangible results remain elusive. Turkey has not only kept its border with Armenia closed but has also failed to implement agreements concerning the entry of third-country citizens. Moreover, she noted that Turkey’s recent closure of its airspace to Armenian planes contradicts its earlier claims of supporting the unblocking of regional communications.
Vardanyan criticized the Armenian government’s approach, stating, “The de facto government has been reduced to issuing conciliatory statements, while Turkey continues to support Azerbaijan’s aggressive policies.”
“In contrast, the Turkish strategy involves leveraging threats to secure concessions, turning each negotiation into a cycle of promises from Armenia followed by new demands from Turkey,” she continued.
Meanwhile, official Yerevan has yet to make a decision regarding its participation in the upcoming “3+3” foreign ministers’ meeting scheduled to be held in Turkey. This information was revealed in a letter from the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in response to a written inquiry from Sputnik Armenia.
Earlier, Mehdi Sobhani, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Armenia, announced that the next session of the “3+3” regional platform is set to take place in Turkey in the near future.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry stated, “If there is a clear agreement regarding Armenia’s participation in the third meeting of the regional platform in the ‘3+3’ format, the public will be informed in due course.”
The “3+3” format includes the foreign ministers of Armenia, Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan and Turkey. Georgia continues to decline participation in this platform.
The inaugural session of the “3+3” format was held in December 2021 in Moscow, attended by deputy foreign ministers from the five participating countries. The second session occurred in October 2023 in Iran.
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