Turkey continues to link relations with Armenia to Armenian-Azerbaijani process – Mher Abrahamyan

Turkey consistently links its relations with Armenia to the developments in Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, and this approach remains unchanged today, Turkologist Mher Abrahamyan told Alpha News.

According to him, in recent weeks Turkish high-ranking officials, especially at the level of the foreign minister, have openly declared that the normalization of relations with Armenia depends on the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process.

“In other words, the conditions and preconditions set in Armenian-Azerbaijani relations are presented by Turkey in the same way as the basis for relations with Armenia,” Abrahamyan said.

Referring to Turkey’s renovation of the Alican border checkpoint, the expert described it as a symbolic move stemming from a policy adopted back in the 2000s—one based on applying ‘soft power’ toward Armenia.

“The rapid renovation and construction of the Alican checkpoint is a manifestation of soft power policy. Turkey’s goal is to present it as a step toward establishing peace and improving relations with Armenia,” he emphasized.