During the hours when Istanbul was yielded to heavy rainfall and floodwaters, on Wednesday, October 14, an important gathering took place at the InterContinental Hotel in Taksim for those who closely monitor Turkey-Armenia relations.
Although many guests were delayed due to traffic, Nairi Petrosyan, Armenia’s Representative to the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization in Istanbul, welcomed all guests at the door. The anniversary of the Republic of Armenia’s independence day was to be celebrated at an official level for the first time in 9 years. This meant there would also be state-level participation. Indeed, Deputy Foreign Minister Berris Ekinci and other Foreign Ministry diplomats made it to the reception, albeit with difficulty due to weather and road conditions.
High attendance
There was high attendance at the reception. Heads of foreign missions, Turkey's Special Envoy for the Turkey-Armenia Normalization Process Serdar Kılıç, foundation managers from the Turkish Armenian community, and Rakel Dink, President of the Board of Directors of the Hrant Dink Foundation, had already taken their places at the reception. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Armenian Patriarch of Turkey Sahak Maşalyan, and Spiritual Leader of the Armenian Protestant Community Kirkor Ağabaloğlu also arrived one after another. Just before the reception began, host Nairi Petrosyan made a brief statement to Agos on the significance of the day and said the following:
“This reception is a symbolic step regarding current normalization efforts. No reception had been held in Istanbul for nearly nine years. This is also the success of high-level Turkish officials who serve alongside us in the normalization process. And these are small steps proving that the process continues positively.”
“Neighbors first”
After all guests arrived, attention turned to the speech Petrosyan and Ekinci were to give at the podium. Petrosyan took the floor first, thanked all attending guests, and spoke about Turkey-Armenia relations.
Saying, “Our hope is for peace and cooperation to prevail in this region,” Petrosyan used the following expressions: “Armenia has adopted a 'neighbors first' policy that prioritizes relations with its neighbors at the highest level. The Republic of Armenia sees its contribution to the region’s stability as a fundamental duty in strengthening international peace, stability, and development.”
Petrosyan continued: “In recent years, steady progress has been observed in the bilateral dialogue between Armenia and Turkey. Our intention is to build upon this progress; to encourage and develop cooperation between the two countries in every possible field.
Our leaders, Prime Minister Pashinyan and President Erdoğan, meet regularly, as they did recently in New York. Foreign Ministers Mirzoyan and Fidan are also in regular contact, including their phone conversation just a few days ago. All this proves that Armenia and Turkey share many common interests. Furthermore, both sides possess the necessary political will to address these interests and develop mutually beneficial solutions accordingly. This celebration organized by my representation on behalf of the Armenian government is a perhaps small but important step taken in the right direction that both Armenia and Turkey are mutually pursuing. Our dialogue is expanding in literally every field, from transport links to education, from information and communication technologies to energy. The project undertaken by our two governments to rebuild the historic Silk Road Bridge extending to the city of Ani on our border is a comprehensive and perfect symbol that fully reflects our cooperation. Armenia aims to restore railway and digital connections between the Persian Gulf, the Black Sea, and the Caspian Sea. This will be a project of global importance that promises great benefits to all relevant countries.” Petrosyan ended his words in Armenian by saying, “Long live Armenia.”
“An important reflection of the normalization process”
Next, Deputy Foreign Minister Berris Ekinci took the floor. Saying, “This reception constitutes an important reflection of our normalization process,” Ekinci continued her words as follows:
“We are conducting this normalization process at the bilateral level with the utmost sincerity and determination, towards the ultimate goal of achieving full normalization. In this context, we are pleased to see that the recent increase in high level visits between our countries has made significant contributions to strengthening our bilateral dialogue and enhancing mutual understanding.
In addition, we have taken many concrete steps in the fields of transportation, energy, culture, and towards the resumption of direct trade. All these steps taken offer us strong reasons to look to the future of our region with great hope and optimism. Turkey has always supported peace, stability, and normalization dynamics in the South Caucasus.
I would like to emphasize tonight in particular that we will continue to offer our sincere and unwavering support to these processes in the upcoming period.”
Participation at the highest level
Ekinci ended her speech by congratulating Armenia. Thus, the highest-level participation by Turkey to date in Armenian Independence Day receptions was realized.
Before and after the speeches, everyone had the same question in mind: Will the border open soon? For Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan had said at a forum he attended in Warsaw, "Tomorrow morning we might see the headline ‘Armenia-Turkey border has opened’ in the news." Turkish Foreign Ministry officials, while emphasizing that the process was progressing, were cautious regarding "tomorrow morning." In fact, Mirzoyan had used this sentence as a metaphor anyway.
One of the most important moments of the night was the playing of first the Armenian and then the Turkish national anthem while Petrosyan and Ekinci were at the podium after the speeches concluded. During this time, the flags of Armenia and Turkey were projected in turn onto the screen behind.
Everyone who attended the reception and knew the history of Turkey-Armenia relations was aware that they were witnessing an important moment. I was as well.
Questions in mind
Everyone left the reception hopeful. As guests prepared to join the flood-stricken Istanbul traffic, some of us had another question in mind: Yes, Armenia-Turkey relations seem on track, but why hasn't even the step agreed upon four years ago, namely opening the land border to third-country citizens and diplomats in the first phase, been taken yet? Yes, there is concrete progress, but considering the process started in 2020, shouldn't we be at a more advanced stage? Did Azerbaijan have a slowing effect on the process?
For my part, I already mention the Azerbaijan effect in my commentaries, and this is not a secret matter anyway; Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had previously drawn attention to the importance of signing a final peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan for the process to move forward. Azerbaijan, on the other hand, continues to delay the final signature and put conditions on the table.
We certainly had one more question in mind: Could the next reception be held at an Armenian Embassy to be established in Istanbul?
Wouldn't that be one of the most important steps of “normalization”?
