Turkey’s foreign minister said on Monday that the recently appointed Turkish and Armenian special envoys are expected to discuss steps for the normalization of ties between the two countries, with Moscow being the venue to host the first meeting.
Mevlut Cavusoglu, at a year-end evaluation of Turkey’s foreign policy, stated that the two special envoys should first speak over the phone and decide on the date and place of a face-to-face meeting.
Expressing that a roadmap towards normalizing ties needs to be set, Cavusoglu said: “Our impression is that the first meeting will take place in Moscow, as Armenia desires. Aside from the first meeting, we also want communication to be held directly … We have mutually appointed special envoys to speak directly.”
Cavusoglu reiterated that Turkey was pursuing its normalization discussions in consultation and coordination with Azerbaijan, noting that charter flights between Turkey and Armenia would soon begin.
Adding that they also want to see action, Cavusoglu summarized Armenia’s rhetoric in the process so far as positive.
He added: “Within the framework of this process, new steps must be taken to normalize relations. This will be important for the stability, peace, and prosperity of the Caucasus.”
Turkey appointed Serdar Kilic, a former ambassador to the US, as its special envoy on December 15 to discuss steps for normalization with Armenia. Meanwhile, Yerevan appointed its special representative for dialogue with Turkey, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Ruben Rubinyan, three days later.
