Turkey recap

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Armenia, Turkey and the Zangezur corridor

Armenia, Turkey and the Zangezur corridor

Independent researcher Nareg Seferian joined Turkey recap editor-in-chief Diego Cupolo to discuss Armenia-Azerbaijan peace talks and their implications for the region.

They covered the July 10 meeting between Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani Pres. Ilham Aliyev in Abu Dhabi and their efforts to finalize a peace agreement in the aftermath of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War.

The peace talks will not only impact Eurasian energy and trade – through projects like the Zangezur corridor – but could also revive stalled normalization efforts between Turkey and Armenia.

All of the above has repercussions for the balance of power in the South Caucasus, where Russia, Iran, the European Union and the United States compete for influence.

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Erdoğan and Pashinyan look forward as public opinion looks back

Erdoğan and Pashinyan look forward as public opinion looks back

On July 11, 2022, Turkish Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan held their first phone call ever. The leaders not only exchanged polite wishes for the month’s religious holidays, but also released identically-worded statements in which they “emphasized the importance” of the normalization process between their countries.

As the governments of Turkey and Armenia take cautious steps towards normalization, public opinion appears unconvinced by the process, with recent polls on both sides of the border underlining long-held negative sentiments between the two nations despite the recent progress. Along with the possibility of Russian and Azerbaijani influence on negotiations, the ongoing Turkey-Armenia talks will be no easy task, and the public knows it.

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