Azerbaijani and Turkish Delegations in Yerevan: Dialogue or Another Form of Threat?

Delegations from Azerbaijan and Turkey traveled to Yerevan to attend the 108th Rose-Roth Seminar of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. The fact that representatives of two openly hostile states — both of which continue to threaten Armenia’s sovereignty and deny the rights of Artsakh Armenians — are present in the Armenian capital shows the difficult path Armenia faces in the struggle for peace.

The head of the Armenian delegation to NATO PA, Andranik Kocharyan, said that their presence is being used as an opportunity for Armenia to present its position and vision for the South Caucasus. “Ultimately, if we are talking about peace, we must begin with dialogue, and this is one of the best platforms to deliver it — the NATO platform,” Kocharyan said.

Armenia ensured that the agenda included topics directly tied to the Caucasus, giving NATO members and partners the chance to hear Armenia’s perspective after the devastating 2020 war and the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh in 2023. “Post-war Armenia, after all, must solve one key issue: to achieve peace,” Kocharyan said.

For decades, Armenia’s cooperation with NATO has been focused on building a stronger and more transparent army and improving national security. Kocharyan emphasized that these programs were crucial for reforms within the Armenian armed forces, reforms that would have been much harder to achieve without NATO support.

At the same time, Turkey used the NATO seminar as a stage to push its usual narrative about “regional peace.” Turkish MP Fatma Aksal claimed that a “new chapter” is opening between Armenia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan. She promoted Ankara and Baku’s demands under the guise of peace, repeating the so-called “Zangezur Corridor” project — a direct territorial threat to Armenia’s southern Syunik Province, disguised as a transport initiative.

When asked whether this corridor amounts to a land grab, Aksal tried to downplay it, saying, “This is not a territorial claim. Let me say the following — I truly believe that no one loses from peace, and there are no winners in war.” Such statements are hypocritical given that Azerbaijan’s entire strategy has been war, aggression, and forced displacement of Armenians from their homes.

Her comments expose the coordinated Turkey–Azerbaijan agenda: normalize relations with Armenia only on their terms, while erasing Artsakh’s existence and pressing territorial claims under different names. Their so-called “peace” is one that demands Armenians give up security, sovereignty, and the rights of Artsakh Armenians, all while Turkey and Azerbaijan profit.

Aksal also pointed to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s visit to Turkey and said she hopes borders will open soon, adding, “We hope that soon the door will open, and we will have trade and cultural ties.” What she did not mention is that Turkey continues to condition the opening of borders on Armenia’s concessions to Azerbaijan — essentially holding Armenia hostage to the same threats that destroyed Artsakh.

The presence of Azerbaijan and Turkey at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly seminar in Yerevan shows Armenia’s difficult diplomatic reality. Armenia continues to work with international partners to present its truth, defend its sovereignty, and demand recognition of the rights of Artsakh Armenians.

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