Fri Jun 20 16:13:50 UTC 2025: ## Erdogan and Pashinyan Meet in Bid to Normalize Turkish-Armenian Relations
**Istanbul, Turkey – June 20, 2025:** Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks in Turkey today, signaling a continued effort to normalize relations between the two countries after decades of strain. The meeting focused on potentially reopening the joint border, closed since 1993, and the ongoing war between Israel and Iran.
The closure of the Turkish-Armenian border was a show of solidarity with Azerbaijan during its conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Turkey strongly supported Azerbaijan in the 2020 six-week war over the territory, which resulted in Azerbaijan regaining control of a significant portion of the region.
Beyond the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, the two countries are also grappling with the legacy of the early 20th century deaths of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. While historians largely consider the event genocide, Turkey vehemently rejects this label, arguing that the deaths resulted from civil unrest and that the death toll is inflated.
Despite these historical and geopolitical challenges, both countries have taken steps towards reconciliation. In 2021, Ankara and Yerevan agreed to launch normalization efforts and appointed special representatives to lead talks. Pashinyan previously attended Erdogan’s presidential inauguration in 2023 and the two leaders met in Prague in 2022.
This marks the second attempt at reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia. A 2009 agreement to establish formal relations and open the border failed to materialize due to strong opposition from Azerbaijan. The outcome of these latest talks remains to be seen, but the meeting signifies a continued commitment to dialogue and potential cooperation between the two nations.
First Piper 