Turkey, Armenia to mutually appoint envoys to normalize ties

Duvar English - Reuters

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Dec. 13 that Turkey and Armenia will mutually appoint special envoys to discuss steps to normalize ties, and added they will also restart charter flights between Istanbul and Yerevan.

Armenia and Turkey signed a landmark peace accord in 2009 to restore ties and open their shared border after decades, but the deal was never ratified and ties have remained tense.

During the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict last year, Ankara supported Azerbaijan and accused Yerevan of occupying Azeri territories.

Speaking at his ministry's budget discussions in parliament, Çavuşoğlu said Turkey would coordinate steps to normalize ties with Armenia with Azerbaijan. 

“In the Caucasus, we are making intense diplomatic efforts to build regional peace and prosperity with Azerbaijan,” the minister said. 

"In the coming period, we will start charter flights between Yerevan and Istanbul," he added.