By Elen Muradyan
Antalya, Turkey – On the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum held on April 11–13, CivilNet correspondent Arshaluys Mghdesyan sat down with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan to discuss Armenia-Turkey relations, the stalled peace process with Azerbaijan, and prospects for regional cooperation.
Mirzoyan said Armenia and Turkey have far broader opportunities for engagement than simply restoring diplomatic ties. He highlighted progress in technical cooperation, shared regional interests, and renewed dialogue as signs of forward movement—even as unresolved issues remain.
His meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan focused on the current state of normalization efforts. While some agreements have already been implemented like joint assessments of the Margara-Alijan border infrastructure and cooperation on restoring the historic Ani Bridge, others, such as the opening of the land border to third-country nationals and diplomatic passport holders, remain unrealized.
Still, Mirzoyan expressed optimism about the process. “We are not talking about minimal engagement or mere coexistence. There is a shared understanding that much larger-scale cooperation is possible- economic, transit, and even in energy,” he said. He also noted that on some international issues, particularly those involving the Middle East, Armenia and Turkey hold surprisingly similar views.
Mirzoyan acknowledged that the pace of normalization has at times been shaped by the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process, which Turkey closely follows. But he argued that progress in Armenian-Turkish relations should not be made contingent on developments with Azerbaijan. “Our view is that improvement in Armenian-Turkish relations will positively influence the Armenia-Azerbaijan process, not the reverse.”
Mirzoyan also met with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov in Antalya, which was their first meeting since both governments publicly confirmed in early March that they had agreed on the text of a peace treaty. He said the conversation reaffirmed both sides’ positions but did not produce any breakthroughs.
He emphasized that the peace treaty, once signed and ratified, would be only the beginning of a broader normalization process. The agreement includes a provision for a bilateral commission to monitor implementation and resolve disputes. “Challenges will arise, but the treaty would lay the foundation for managing them jointly,” he said.
Baku, however, has conditioned its readiness to sign on two demands: the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group and constitutional changes in Armenia. The OSCE Minsk Group, co-chaired by the United States, France, and Russia under the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, was established in the early 1990s as the formal international mediation format to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. While largely inactive in recent years, it remains a politically sensitive structure.
Mirzoyan said Armenia is prepared to pursue the group’s formal dissolution jointly with Azerbaijan once the treaty is signed, as the group would no longer have a role. As for constitutional changes, he rejected claims that Armenia’s constitution contains territorial claims against Azerbaijan, and instead pointed to Azerbaijani founding documents that reference claims against Armenia.
He noted that the treaty would undergo review by Armenia’s Constitutional Court and expressed confidence that the court would find it in line with the constitution, citing a similar ruling in 2023 on border demarcation.
Despite the agreed text, no date has been set for signing the treaty. “We’re ready to do it in the near future,” Mirzoyan said. “That readiness is not being reciprocated by Baku.”
Asked whether the process was at a standstill, he rejected the idea of a deadlock. “Everything will be done to avoid that outcome,” he said, citing Armenia’s constructive approach, including proposals to unblock regional transport routes.
He outlined a plan under which each country would retain sovereignty over its infrastructure while granting the other transit access to railways. Armenia, he said, offered Azerbaijan use of routes via Meghri, with simplified border controls, modern scanning systems, sealed wagons, electronic customs declarations, and insurance mechanisms to address security concerns. Though Azerbaijan initially responded positively, Mirzoyan said the latest signals from Baku have been “cooler,” without clear explanation.
“We must stay engaged,” he said. “Dialogue, however difficult, is the only way forward.”
Armenia and Turkey began formal normalization talks in early 2022 after years of closed borders and frozen relations stemming from historical disputes and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Special envoys have since held multiple rounds of talks, resulting in limited progress, including agreements to restore direct air cargo and prepare for eventual border openings. However, the process remains fragile and slow-moving, with Turkey linking its pace to developments in Armenia-Azerbaijan relations.
Read the full Q&A in Armenian here.
