Monday, December 9 2013

 A regional meeting in Yerevan is likely to be the venue for discussions between Turkish and Armenian politicians to break the current stalemate in the normalization process between the two estranged neighbors, as Turkey has recently voiced its intention to normalize ties with Armenia.

According to Hurriyet Daily News, Ankara is expected to test the waters at first hand with Armenian officials in Yerevan about possible progress in talks for a settlement to the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which could pave the way for rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia.
Although a bilateral meeting has not been scheduled yet, a meeting between Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and his Armenian counterpart, Edward Nalbandian, is "highly possible" on the sidelines of a regional meeting, a Turkish Foreign Ministry official told the Hurriyet Daily News.

Davutoglu will pay a visit to Yerevan on Dec. 12, to attend the ministerial meeting of the Organization for the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC). Speaking to reporters late on Dec.  5, he said the invitation had come from the Armenian side, and he accepted after consultations with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"Turkey is one of the founding members of the organization. Its headquarters are located in Istanbul, where Armenia, which is a member of the organization, also has a representative. I received the invitation and decided to accept it after consultations," Davutoglu said.