On Wednesday, initiatives currently launched by Turkey and Armenia to start discussing steps to normalize relations were welcomed by the US.
In a statement shared on Twitter, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed, “We welcome and strongly support statements by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on appointing special envoys to discuss the process of normalization.”
On Monday, the Turkish Foreign Minister stated that Ankara and Yerevan will appoint special envoys soon to discuss steps to normalize relations.
Later during the day, a spokesperson for the Armenian Foreign Ministry announced that they welcomed the Turkish foreign minister’s announcement.
The broadcaster citing the Armenian foreign ministry spokesperson said, “In this regard, we positively assess the statement of the Turkish foreign minister on the appointment of a special representative for the normalization of relations, and confirm that the Armenian side will appoint a special representative for this dialogue.”
Cavusoglu, speaking to lawmakers in the Turkish parliament on Monday, noted that they would move in coordination with Azerbaijan during the normalization process.
Since 1991, relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense following the military occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions by Armenian forces. The region is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.
In September 2020, new clashes resulted in Azerbaijan eliminating several cities and 300 settlements and villages from occupying forces, ultimately leading to a Russia-brokered deal that ended the six-week conflict.
