Fidan's response raises more questions than it clarifies the Armenian-Turkish normalization.
18-06-2026 19:30:22 | | Press of Diaspora
1in.am After two days of meetings in Russia, Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has answered questions from a correspondent of a pro-government Turkish publication. Incidentally, during the visit, as he himself put it, he has been «following step by step» and has publicized that Fidan «also had discussions with the heads of Russia's special services in Moscow». According to the Turkish Foreign Minister, an agreement on «cooperation in the 3+3 format has been reached in Moscow, as it is time to move from competition to cooperation in the Caucasus».
Fidan assessed that after the recent events in the Middle East, «that perception has reached a certain point» and in this context, Russia and Turkey «can strengthen their economies and enhance the stability of the South Caucasus and Central Asia, while the aspirations for dominance must come to an end; peace, tranquility, and stability will serve everyone's interests».
The Turkish Foreign Minister also emphasized that «there are, of course, obstacles; the distrust between certain countries has reached a serious level». This likely refers to Russian-Georgian relations, as Fidan immediately recalled his meeting with the Georgian Foreign Minister in Istanbul last week, from which it can be inferred that Turkey has attempted to «bring Georgia into the 3+3 format», but has not succeeded.
In an interview with Turkiye, Hakan Fidan revealed that the «Middle Corridor» issue of «connecting Turkey» was discussed in Moscow. Turkey is already connected to the «Middle Corridor» via the Baku-Kars railway, so it is clear that the prospects for implementing the TRIPP project were discussed in the Moscow negotiations. Former Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Zulfugarov has expressed the view that Russia seeks to «incorporate its presence in the TRPP project at the Armenia-Iran border».
The Turkish Foreign Minister also responded to a question about the Armenian-Turkish normalization. «Pashinyan's government has taken very important steps. More significant steps have been taken at the behest of our president, including direct trade. What needs to be done in the new phase is also clear. We are ready for normalization of the situation when the necessary conditions are in place,» Fidan said. This response, if we set aside the conditionalities, raises more questions than clarifies the Armenian-Turkish normalization process.
Fidan's extremely cautious formulations suggest that at least regarding Armenia, Russia is not ready to «move from competition to cooperation» with Turkey. This poses a very serious challenge for Armenia.
* This text was automatically translated by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
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