Turkey Today
April 20 2026

Pashinyan makes regional ties heart of Armenia’s pre-election foreign policy pitch

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has made the expansion of ties with all of Yerevan’s neighbors a centerpiece of his ruling party’s pre-election platform, pledging to deepen relations with Georgia, Iran, Türkiye and Azerbaijan and calling for the full reopening of regional transport links that have long been closed or underused.

Presenting the program of the Civil Contract party ahead of upcoming elections, Pashinyan described closer ties with neighboring states as a matter of “great importance,” saying his party would continue down that path. He called for implementation of the TRIPP, Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, project and the launch of the Gyumri-Kars railway, a direct rail link between Armenia and Türkiye that has never entered operation, arguing both steps would reinforce peace and cooperation across the region.

Pashinyan also acknowledged a fundamental shift in how Armenia now conducts its regional diplomacy. Yerevan had previously managed its relationships with Türkiye and Azerbaijan through third-country intermediaries, he said, a practice he argued had held back peace efforts. That approach, he said, has changed.

Border opening waits on Ankara’s final call

The most immediate test of that new approach may be the land border with Türkiye, sealed for more than three decades. Armenia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan, speaking to reporters at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, said Yerevan had already done everything required on its side. “Both politically and technically, we are ready — the necessary infrastructure work at the border has been completed,” he said. “At this point, the decision rests with Türkiye.”

The border has been closed since 1993, when Türkiye shut it in solidarity with Azerbaijan during the first Karabakh war. Diplomatic contacts between Ankara and Yerevan have accelerated in recent years, but the physical crossing remains one of the most tangible unresolved elements of the relationship.

Kostanyan said dialogue between the two countries had advanced well beyond foreign ministry channels, with engagement now reaching the leadership level and contacts expanding across multiple ministries. He described the process as constructive and multi-dimensional. No new meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pashinyan was currently scheduled, he said, though the two leaders remain in contact, and last year’s visit between them was an important step.

Peace with Azerbaijan opens new economic chapter

Pashinyan also confirmed Armenia’s readiness to participate actively in the “3+3” regional cooperation format, which brings together Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia alongside Türkiye, Russia and Iran, a framework that would have been unthinkable during the years of active conflict with Baku.

Kostanyan described the Armenia-Azerbaijan relationship as entering a new phase focused on economic cooperation and trade, with technical processes such as border delimitation moving forward at their own pace. The two countries fought two wars over Karabakh, in 1991-1994 and again in 2020, before Azerbaijan reclaimed full control of the territory in a military operation in 2023.

On the broader regional security picture, Kostanyan addressed the tension between the United States and Iran, saying disputes between the two sides needed to be resolved through diplomacy. He expressed cautious optimism about the prospects for lasting peace in the region but warned that instability was not cost-free for Armenia.

Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global energy flows, were already affecting the Armenian economy indirectly, he said. While no serious crisis had emerged so far, a prolonged deterioration could weigh on the country’s growth trajectory and economic outlook.

—

Eastern Herald
April 20 2026

Azerbaijan Summons Belgian, Dutch Ambassadors Over Resolutions Criticizing Baku

Baku Accuses Western Parliaments of Bias, Says Moves Threaten Sovereignty and Undermine Peace Process in South Caucasus

BAKU (SPUTNIK) — Azerbaijan escalated its diplomatic standoff with Europe on Monday, summoning the ambassadors of Belgium and the Netherlands in a forceful response to parliamentary resolutions that Baku says are grounded in “false narratives” and represent direct interference in its internal affairs.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry confirmed that Belgian Ambassador Julien de Fraipont and Dutch Ambassador Marianne de Jong were called in separately, where officials issued a strong protest against measures adopted by the two European parliaments on April 16.

At the center of the dispute are European criticisms of Azerbaijan’s handling of former leaders of ethnic Armenian authorities in the Karabakh region. The resolutions reportedly called for their release and condemned Azerbaijan’s military actions, claims that Baku has categorically rejected.

A Direct Clash Over Sovereignty

Azerbaijani officials framed the resolutions as part of a broader pattern of Western political pressure, accusing European lawmakers of distorting facts and undermining the country’s sovereignty.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the parliamentary documents are based on utterly false and unfounded assessments and reflect a deeply rooted anti-Azerbaijani bias.

Officials went further, describing the resolutions as a gross violation of international law and a blatant interference in the rule of law.

During the meetings, Azerbaijani diplomats rejected allegations that the detained individuals were being held unlawfully, insisting instead that their cases had been handled through legitimate judicial processes.

Europe’s Criticism and the Karabakh Question

The European resolutions come against the backdrop of the long-running Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, a region internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but historically populated by ethnic Armenians.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the region became the focal point of a prolonged conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Armenian forces established control over Karabakh and surrounding territories, leading to decades of frozen tensions.

That status quo shifted dramatically in 2020, when Azerbaijan regained significant territory during a six-week war, altering the balance of power in the region.

The balance changed again in September 2023, when a military operation that restored full control over Karabakh was launched. The operation lasted less than a day but triggered a mass exodus of ethnic Armenians.

Peace Process Under Pressure

The diplomatic clash comes at a particularly sensitive moment in the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace process, with multiple global actors involved in mediation efforts.

In 2023, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signaled readiness to recognize Azerbaijan’s sovereignty within its Soviet-era borders, including Karabakh, a move widely seen as a turning point.

Azerbaijan now argues that external political interventions, particularly from European institutions, risk destabilizing that fragile progress.

The Azerbaijani parliament has also condemned what it described as biased resolutions of Belgian and Dutch parliaments, warning that such actions could damage the peace process.

A Broader East-West Divide

Beyond the immediate dispute, the episode highlights a widening geopolitical divide between Western institutions and emerging regional powers across Eurasia.

Azerbaijan’s response reflects a broader trend in which countries are pushing back against what they view as selective Western criticism and politicized narratives.

Officials in Baku have increasingly framed such actions as attempts to influence regional dynamics at a time when new economic corridors are reshaping Eurasian connectivity.

For now, Baku’s message appears unambiguous: external criticism, especially when framed in political terms, will be met with firm resistance.

As negotiations continue, the latest diplomatic escalation underscores how unresolved tensions, both local and geopolitical, continue to shape the fragile balance in the South Caucasus.