Armenia-Turkey Rapprochement

The Most Significant Positive Event in the Region Since 1994 (If It Happens)

Author(s): Gevorg Ter-Gabrielyan
Editor(s): Lili Di Puppo, Iris Kempe, Matthias Neumann, Robert Orttung, Jeronim Perovic
Series: Caucasus Analytical Digest (CAD)
Issue: 11
Pages: 2-5
Publisher(s): Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich; Jefferson Institute, Washington D.C.; Heinrich Böll Foundation, Tbilisi; Research Centre for East European Studies, University of Bremen
Publication Year: 2009

The signing of the Armenian-Turkish Agreement on October 10, 2009, in Zurich could prove to be a milestone in the relations between the two neighboring states and a major factor impacting positively on the stability of the entire Caucasus region. Yet the agreement needs to pass the difficult ratification test in the parliaments of Armenia and Turkey, and domestic opposition groups and the large Armenian Diaspora have to play along. If indeed this agreement is to bring more stability to the Caucasus, then Azerbaijan also needs to be convinced that the Armenia-Turkey rapprochement is in its national interest as well. Yet this is unlikely to happen because of the unresolved Karabakh conflict, an issue which clearly needs to be tackled with utmost urgency, by Armenia and Azerbaijan primarily, but also by the regional actors including Russia, and the international community.

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