Washington: Armenia's deputy foreign minister described a historic trilateral summit with Azerbaijan and the US at the White House as a turning point in Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization while creating an important milestone for normalization with Trkiye. Vahan Kostanyan told Anadolu that the meetings marked an important milestone, one day after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and US President Donald Trump signed an agreement at the White House to end decades of conflict.
According to TRTworld.com, yesterday's discussions, both bilaterally with the United States and trilaterally with the United States and Azerbaijan, were very important, even historic, said Kostanyan. He noted that an important milestone was registered concerning Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization, along with the strengthening of the Armenia-US strategic partnership. Kostanyan praised previous statements by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that encouraged Armenia and Azerbaijan to conclude a peace treaty, saying they had positively affected normalization talks.
Kostanyan emphasized the significance of the event, highlighting the opportunity it presents for achieving a similar milestone with Trkiye. He mentioned the feasibility of a connectivity project that could gain regional and global importance if communications between Armenia and Turkey are relaunched. He expressed hope that Ankara would reciprocate the goodwill of the Armenian government by opening the Turkish-Armenian border and establishing diplomatic relations. He added that this would lead to stability and economic prosperity in the region.
The relationship between Armenia and Trkiye has been complex since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Trkiye was among the first countries to recognize Armenia's independence in 1991 but closed its border and severed diplomatic ties in 1993 following Armenia's occupation of Karabakh. Relations began to improve after the 2020 Karabakh war, with both sides appointing special envoys to pursue normalization talks.
One of the key components of the agreement reached at the White House summit is the development of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), which will connect mainland Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic exclave. Kostanyan explained that the declaration envisions opening regional transportation and communication routes under the sovereignty, jurisdiction, and territorial integrity of the states they traverse.
He further explained that the project will be developed by Armenia and the US on Armenian territory, enabling regional communications, including a link from southern Armenia through Nakhchivan to other parts of the country. While the founding principles have been agreed upon, Kostanyan mentioned that technical and working-level discussions on the project's modalities will follow.