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Armenia and Azerbaijan’s move for a permanent peace raises hope for a normalization between Türkiye and Armenia.
Armenia’s deputy foreign minister described an “historic” trilateral summit with Azerbaijan and the U.S. at the White House as a turning point in Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization while creating an “important milestone” for same with Türkiye.
Vahan Kostanyan told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Saturday that the meetings marked “an important milestone,” one day after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and U.S. President Donald Trump signed an agreement at the White House to end decades of conflict.
“Yesterday’s discussions, both bilaterally with the United States and trilaterally with the United States and Azerbaijan, were very important, even historic,” said Kostanyan. “We registered an important milestone when it comes to Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization, but also strengthening of the Armenia-U.S. sttrategic partnership.
He noted three key memoranda of understanding were signed between Armenia and the U.S., on capacity building for Armenia’s Crossroads of Peace project, cooperation in artificial intelligence and semiconductors, and on energy.
On the Armenia-Azerbaijan agreement, he highlighted that the peace treaty agreed in March had now been initialed. They also signed a letter on the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group, and the joint declaration witnessed by Trump.
Kostanyan praised previous statements by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that encouraged Armenia and Azerbaijan to conclude a peace treaty, saying they had “positively” affected normalization talks.
“With yesterday’s event, we see an important milestone and opportunity that we can achieve with Türkiye as well,” he said. “This connectivity project can be feasible and can be much more regionally and globally important if we call communications between Armenia and Turkey are relaunched as well.”
He expressed hope that Ankara would “reciprocate the goodwill of the government of Armenia” by opening the Turkish-Armenian border and establishing diplomatic relations.
“We can achieve another very important milestone for the stability and economic prosperity in our region, meaning that we’ll be able to open the border between Armenia and Türkiye and establish diplomatic relations,” he added.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Türkiye was among the first countries to recognize Armenia’s independence on Sept. 21, 1991, but closed its border and severed diplomatic ties in 1993 following Armenia’s occupation of Karabakh. Relations began to thaw after the 2020 Karabakh war, with both sides appointing special envoys to pursue normalization talks.
Türkiye on Friday welcomed progress toward establishing lasting peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, following a declaration recorded in Washington on Aug. 8.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said the step comes at a time of intensifying global conflicts and crises, describing it as a highly significant development for ensuring regional peace and stability.
Ankara expressed appreciation for the contribution of the U.S. administration to the process and said a “historic opportunity” has emerged for achieving peace and prosperity in the South Caucasus.
“As Türkiye, we will continue to contribute to efforts aimed at seizing this opportunity and will support the devoted efforts of our dear Azerbaijan,” the ministry said.
The two countries share a complex history. Armenia for a long time accused Türkiye or rather, the Ottoman Empire, of committing genocide against Armenian population in the country during World War I. Türkiye has repeatedly denied the claims of genocide although it acknowledged high number of deaths among Armenians due to isolated incidents and diseases.
The Second Karabakh War, which ended in 2020, reignited hopes for renewed dialogue. In 2021, Ankara and Yerevan appointed special representatives tasked with normalizing relations and negotiating the reopening of their land border. So far, limited agreements have allowed third-country citizens and diplomats to cross, but a full reopening remains elusive.
Despite these hurdles, there have been tentative gestures toward cooperation. The Margara border crossing has been used twice in recent years for humanitarian purposes: in February 2023 to deliver Armenian aid trucks following a devastating earthquake in southeastern Türkiye, and in March 2024 for humanitarian aid shipments to Syria via Türkiye. Armenia has also upgraded the crossing in anticipation of future use.
In June, Pashinyan visited Türkiye and met President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a historic but somewhat muted visit. Two leaders expressed readiness for peace in their region and commitment to normalization of ties.
One of the key components of Friday’s agreement at the White House summit is the development of what is being called the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), which will connect mainland Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic exclave.
Kostanyan said the declaration envisions opening regional transportation and communication routes under the sovereignty, jurisdiction and territorial integrity of the states they traverse.
He explained that the project will be developed by Armenia and the U.S. on Armenian territory, enabling regional communications, including a link from southern Armenia through Nakhchivan to other parts of the country.
While the founding principles have been agreed, Kostanyan said technical and working-level discussions on the project’s modalities will follow.
