Armenian president expected to visit Türkiye
Armenian Prime Minister (PM) Nikol Pashinyan will visit Türkiye today.
Pashinyan’s historic visit comes at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who’s sought to normalise relations with Armenia whilst keeping traditional ally Azerbaijan close.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought several wars, most recently in 2023, where Armenian exclave Nagorno-Karabakh was annexed by Azerbaijan. Türkiye-Armenian relations meanwhile have been fraught since the 1915 Armenian genocide, perpetrated by Türkiye’s predecessor the Ottoman Empire. This visit, however, comes amid the backdrop of the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict, with concerns that Azerbaijan may attempt to utilise the chaos to seize more Armenian territory close to the Iranian border. In March, both countries agreed on a permanent peace, yet failed to secure a joint draft resolution on how to implement the peace.
This meeting is most likely just a cordial step towards more normalised Turkish relations with its neighbour. Erdogan will also be keen to expand his Caucus influence beyond Azerbaijan and will seek to avert another Caucus war, which could have unknown consequences for Türkiye’s eastern regions. For PM Pashinyan, this visit allows for him to diversify his dialogue partners, as Armenia traditionally has relied on Russian support in crises but have recently been lacklustre due to their own war in Ukraine. This visit could be an important step in establishing permanent peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.