Until Peace Treaty is Signed Between Yerevan and Baku, Turkey will not Normalize Ties with Armenia

Official Ankara on Tuesday asserted that until a peace deal is signed between Yerevan and Baku, ties between Turkey and Armenia will not be normalized.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told lawmakers in parliament that without a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan the risk of not settling the conflict, which would hinder the region.

“We will be ready to normalize our relations with Armenia from the moment a peace agreement is signed between Azerbaijan and Armenia, as we have stated before,” Fidan said.

“Armenia’s strong desire for peace in the region is largely driven by the political will expressed by Turkey regarding relations with us. Normalizing Armenian–Turkish relations, opening the border, and activating economic ties are important for Armenia,” Fidan said.

Fidan also spoke about the so-called “Zangezur Corridor,” and parroted Baku’s demands for the need to amendment Armenia’s Constitution.

“The entity that is demanding the ‘Zangezur Corridor’ is Azerbaijan. It will connect Nakhichevan with mainland Azerbaijan. We are also part of the main transit route coming from Europe, and it is important for us as well,” Fidan said.

“Currently, since the Zangezur Corridor does not exist, our trade with Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Russia goes through Georgia and Iran. We also use maritime routes, including Russian ports, especially before the war. The Zangezur Corridor is now a topic of ongoing discussions between Azerbaijan and Armenia,” Fidan added

Yet Fidan told Turkish lawmakers that there was no final agreement between Yerevan and Baku on the so-called “Zangezur Corridor,” explaining that the sides were still negotiating, with Turkey only facilitating those talks.

“When they criticize us on the issue of the ‘Zangezur Corridor,’ it seems as if that this is an issue under our purview. It is not,” Fidan insisted. “The territory is in Armenia, the claimant is Azerbaijan. We are acting only as a mediator for both sides, because we also need this road.”

“The Zangezur Corridor is currently a hot topic, especially between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Trump raised it in Washington. The initial adoption of the corridor concept was extremely important for Azerbaijan’s national interests, but a number of issues still remain unclear, in particular, what the corridor will be, who will operate it, who will be the partners,” Fidan said.

Fidan also responded in quite detailed and clear terms to the calls to open the Armenian border, emphasizing that Ankara will not do so until the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty is finally signed.

“The ‘Zangezur corridor’ and the issue of the Armenian Constitution were not included in the Washington documents. When these issues have been resolved, and final peace is established between Armenia and Azerbaijan, we will take our step,” Fidan said.

“Normalization of relations with Turkey, opening of the border and restoration of the economy are important for Armenia. If we normalize relations now, we will deprive Armenia of the most fundamental motive for signing a peace treaty with Azerbaijan. This could lead to a frozen conflict in the region, which we do not want,” he said.

At the same time, Fidan insisted that during this time, Ankara has already completed the preparatory and technical work on its own territory and is practically ready to open the border once the Armenian-Azerbaijani issues are resolved.