Description: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in what was labeled as a historic meeting in times of growing concerns over Armenia’s ceasefire and peace agreement with Azerbaijan. Erdogan and Pashinyan also stressed the need for constant dialogue and continued communication as recent spikes in tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan caused concerns over a renewed war between the two countries. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also visited Erdogan on 19 Jun and confirmed his support for a solidified peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Erdogan and Pashinyan discussed the war between Israel and Iran, which borders both countries and also expressed willingness for working towards the normalization of ties between their respective countries.
Impact: Turkey continues to reassert itself as a regional and global power broker, enhancing soft power influence and enlarging diplomatic capital in the Caucasus region. Recent violations in the established ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan has elicited Turkey to invest in de-escalation amid the spiraling Middle East crisis between Iran and Israel. The establishment of closer ties between Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan would positively impact the regional stability under a joint front formulated through the peace agreement between the warring Caucasus countries. Turkey is aiming at strengthening regional bilateral ties in order to expand influence and maintain stability in times when the Iran – Israel war is looking to plunge the Middle East region into a revolving cycle of violence and crisis.