Special representatives from Turkey and Armenia are set to engage in a fresh round of discussions on Tuesday, aimed at normalizing relations between the neighboring countries, according to a Turkish diplomatic source on Monday. These talks mark the resumption of efforts to resolve long-standing tensions, following a two-year hiatus in negotiations. Ankara cut off diplomatic and commercial ties with Armenia in 1993, backing Azerbaijan during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and has since strengthened its political and military alliances with the ethnic Turkic Azeris. Despite the end of the conflict, NATO member Turkey has been seeking to mend its historically troubled relations with Armenia, although it has emphasized that any progress with Yerevan hinges on the advancement of peace talks with Azerbaijan. So far, the special representatives from Turkey and Armenia have conducted four rounds of talks, and a fifth is scheduled to take place along the Turkish-Armenian border on Tuesday, according to the Turkish source.
"During the upcoming meeting, the special representatives will assess recent developments and explore potential confidence-building measures that could be implemented between the two countries," the source added. The Armenian foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed the meeting on the social media platform X. The most recent formal meeting between officials from both countries occurred in July 2022, but the representatives also convened informally at a diplomacy forum in southern Turkey earlier this year. The primary point of contention between Turkey and Armenia revolves around the 1.5 million people Yerevan claims were killed in 1915 by the Ottoman Empire, the precursor to modern Turkey. Armenia regards this as genocide, while Turkey acknowledges that many Armenians in the Ottoman Empire died in clashes during World War I, but disputes the numbers and denies any systematic ethnic-driven killings.
