Special representatives from Turkey and Armenia will hold a fresh round of talks aimed at normalising ties between the neighbours on Tuesday.
Objective Behind Resumption Of Dialogue
A Turkish diplomatic source said that the effort is aimed at ending years of animosity after a two-year pause in negotiations.
How The Relationship Went Sour
Turkey had severed diplomatic and commercial relations with Armenia in 1993 in support of Azerbaijan during a war the two countries were fighting in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Ankara has deepened its political and military ties with the Azerbaijan in recent years.
Since the conflict ended, NATO member Turkey has also been working to revive its historically strained ties with Armenia.
Turkey Puts Conditions On Normalising Ties With Yeravan
At the same time, Turkey has said that any normalisation with Armenia’s capital, Yerevan depended on the progress in its peace talks with Azerbaijan.
Special representatives from Turkey and Armenia have so far held four rounds of talks.
Nature Of Fresh Talks
The Turkish source said a fifth round of talks would be held along the Turkish-Armenian border on Tuesday.
The source said that the special representatives will review developments and discuss certain confidence-building steps that may be implemented.
Armenian Foreign Ministry Confirms Meeting
A spokesperson for the Armenian foreign ministry confirmed the meeting on the social media platform X.
The last official meeting between officials of both countries was held in July 2022.
The two representatives however met on the sidelines of a diplomacy forum in southern Turkey earlier this year.
Ties Between Turkey And Armenia Have Historically Been Hostile
Diplomatic relations between Turkey and Armenia have historically been hostile.
Turkey and Armenia are at odds primarily over the 1.5 million people Yerevan says were killed in 1915 by the Ottoman Empire, the predecessor to modern Turkey,
Armenia says this constitutes genocide.
Turkey accepts that many Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire were killed in clashes with Ottoman forces during World War I
At the same time, Turkey contests the figures and denies that systematic ethnic-driven killing had taken place.
(With Inputs From Reuters)
