Turkey’s diplomacy chief says Ankara ready for normalization, gives regional view

By Nicholas Castillo

Speaking in Moscow with the government-aligned newspaper Türkiye, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that Ankara is ready for normalization with Armenia once certain “conditions arise.”

“What needs to be done in the new period is also clear,” Fidan added, without specifying. 

During this interview, Fidan hailed “very important steps” taken by the government of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Also crediting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Fidan listed the establishment of direct flights and the lifting of trade restrictions as recent accomplishments.

Fidan’s comments on further steps are likely a reference to Azerbaijan’s ongoing demand that Armenia modify its constitution before any normalization agreement is fully signed and put into effect. 

Baku has maintained that Armenia must amend its constitution to remove references to Armenia’s 1990 declaration of independence, which itself included claims to Nagorno-Karabakh.

Yerevan has proposed calling for a national referendum on a new constitution, a task complicated by the fact that the governing Civil Contract party failed to secure a two-thirds constitutional supermajority in June’s parliamentary elections, the primary way to initiate a referendum.

Also in the interview, Fidan endorsed the establishment of the 3+3 Caucasus diplomatic format, which would bring together Turkey, Iran, Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia to address regional issues. 

“As countries in the region, we must recognize that we need to prioritize cooperation over competition and the pursuit of dominance,” Fidan said.

Throughout the Armenia–Turkey normalization process, reports have repeatedly suggested that pressure from Baku has constrained Ankara from opening the border and establishing diplomatic relations with Yerevan. 

Addressing the Armenian press in Turkey in April, Armenian parliamentary speaker Alen Simonyan explicitly stated that Baku was holding back normalization between Yerevan and Ankara. 

“I would say that Azerbaijan is currently obstructing the process by using its lobbying and influence. Because on the one hand, it is negotiating with us, and on the other hand, it is not allowing Turkey to negotiate with us. This is a strange situation. Turkey seems to be a prisoner of these relations,” Simonyan remarked.

In recent months, reports have repeatedly surfaced suggesting that Turkey was preparing to open its border with Armenia to trade and travel for third-country nationals, though none have materialized.