Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Turkey, Armenia agree to press ahead with mending fences

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu talks to journalists next to his Armenia counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan after their meeting on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Antalya, Turkey, Saturday, March 12, 2022. (AP Photo / Mehmet Guzel) Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu talks to journalists next to his Armenia counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan after their meeting on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Antalya, Turkey, Saturday, March 12, 2022. (AP Photo / Mehmet Guzel)
Share
ANTALYA, Turkey -

Turkey and Armenia have agreed to press ahead with efforts to establish diplomatic relations "without conditions" and continue the normalization efforts that could lead to the reopening of their shared borders for trade, their foreign ministers said Saturday.

Ararat Mirzoyan met with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, on the sidelines of a diplomacy forum near the Turkish Mediterranean city of Antalya during a rare visit to Turkey.

Mirzoyan said he welcomed Turkey's invitation to the forum "as a positive signal" for improved relations between the two countries that have had decades of bitterness and have no diplomatic ties.

"I can say that it was a very productive and constructive meeting," Cavusoglu said.

Turkey, a close ally of Azerbaijan, shut down its border with Armenia in 1993 in a show of solidarity with Baku, which was locked in a conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

In 2020, Turkey strongly backed Azerbaijan in the six-week conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, which ended with a Russia-brokered peace deal that saw Azerbaijan gain control of a significant part of the region.

Turkey and Armenia also have a more than century-old hostility over the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians in massacres, deportations and forced marches that began in 1915 in Ottoman Turkey.

The two countries have appointed special representatives who have so far held two rounds of talks in Moscow and Vienna to improve ties.

It is their second attempt at reconciliation. Turkey and Armenia reached an agreement in 2009 to establish formal relations and to open their border, but the agreement was never ratified because of strong opposition from Azerbaijan.

This time around, however, Azerbaijan has given the nod for the reconciliation efforts. Cavusoglu has said that Ankara would "coordinate" the normalization process with Azerbaijan.

Cavusoglu told reporters in Antalya: "Azerbaijan is also pleased with the steps that are being taken and the normalization process between Turkey and Armenia."

As a first step toward reconciliation, charter flights between Yerevan and Istanbul resumed earlier this year.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

An Edmonton man says he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was injured by members of the Edmonton Police Service last year.

Toronto police say they are searching for a suspect who allegedly shot and killed his brother in an argument at a Scarborough housing complex late Saturday night.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.