The Caucasus region: A unique opportunity for peace and reconciliation

Sporadic skirmishes and tension along the frontline between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops and a lack of success so far in recent attempts to bring the two sides to reach a peace agreement are cause for concern. The situation is fragile, and the hope we had for a speedy peace deal is fading.

A golden opportunity emerged with the ceasefire agreement in 2020, ending three decades of Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territories. This allowed one million internally displaced Azeris to return to their homes, a monumental step towards healing and reconciliation.

The opening of the Zangezur corridor, a land connection through Armenian territory between Azerbaijan and its exclave Nakhchivan, was a condition accepted by Armenians in the ceasefire agreement. In return, Azerbaijan also agreed to a land connection (the Lachin corridor) through its territory from Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh. This was a significant step towards fostering peace and cooperation between the two countries.

Nakhchivan, surrounded by Armenia, Iran, and Türkiye with no land connection to Azerbaijan, needs this corridor urgently for the free flow of people and goods. It will unlock the huge potential for normalising relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, leading to lasting peace and economic prosperity for all.

The Zangezur corridor is not a threat to any other country. On the contrary, it will foster regional cooperation, stability, and development.

A peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia will also contribute to the full normalisation of relations between Türkiye and Armenia. We have already taken positive steps, including the appointment of special envoys and agreed to open shared border crossings for citizens of third countries and diplomats. Additionally, direct air cargo transit is another concrete result of initial diplomatic contacts.

We are also encouraged by recent developments, such as the visit of Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan to Türkiye in February, to convey condolences following the devastating earthquake in our country. Preparations are underway to open the Alican-Margara border gate, which was used for the passage of Armenian aid and rescue workers to the earthquake zone. We are grateful to the people and the government of Armenia for extending their help during this challenging time.

The full normalisation of ties between Armenia and its neighbours Azerbaijan and Türkiye will create new opportunities for all the people of the Caucasus region and, hopefully, reversing historical enmities, will pave the way for lasting friendship and cooperation.

However, we must be mindful of the delicate situation at hand. While the conflict is currently frozen, the threat of falling back into hostilities grows the longer it takes to hammer out a deal.

Ever since Armenia gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, two major issues have prevented the development of normal relations between Ankara and Yerevan. One was the war in 1992 over Nagorno-Karabakh and the consequent occupation, in violation of international law, of a substantial amount of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia.

The other obstacle is the unresolved differing perspectives on the historic events of 1915 that led to the deaths of both Armenians and Muslims in the final years of the Ottoman Empire.

The first of the two hurdles has more or less been resolved, with Azerbaijan regaining its lands in 2020 after three decades of Armenian occupation.

The second hurdle has proven far more difficult to surmount as it is a deeply emotional and sensitive topic for both sides.

On our part, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, keen to overcome this issue, called on Armenia in 2005 to open its national archives and establish a joint committee of historians to research the events of 1915. Türkiye has already opened its national archives to international scrutiny, but Armenia still keeps its archives closed and refuses to respond to our call.

It's crucial to approach historical events with nuance, respect for diverse perspectives, and reliance on credible and evidence-based research conducted by qualified scholars and historians.

During the First World War, the Ottoman Empire was attacked by Russia on its eastern front, emboldening Armenian nationalists to take up arms and engage in acts of violence against Muslims, including attacks on Muslim villages and civilians. These acts have been documented and acknowledged by historians as well as by Western military missions at the time.

I personally spent a considerable amount of time researching this period when I was preparing my doctoral thesis entitled “General Harbord’s Military Mission”. General James Guthrie Harbord, one of America’s military heroes, led a military fact-finding mission to eastern Anatolia after the war to report back on the situation on the ground and explore the possibility of creating a United States mandate over these territories. Following extensive observations and research in the region over 58 days, the mission produced a lengthy 1,603-page report, demonstrating objectivity, along with intellectual honesty, in its approach to the wartime relationship between the Ottoman Empire and its Armenian subjects.

“There is much to show that, left to themselves, the Turk and the Armenian, when left without official instigation, have hitherto been able to live together in peace. Their existence side by side on the same soil for five centuries unmistakably indicates their interdependence and mutual interest,” Harbord wrote, referring to the meddling of the great powers of the time in affairs of the region that undermined this peaceful coexistence.

The report and its annexes also documented the atrocities committed by Armenians, who did not constitute a majority in any region of the Ottoman lands, against other subjects of the empire. General Harbord’s report helped end the idea of carving a US mandate – effectively a colony – out of the defeated Ottoman Empire. Copies of this historical record can be accessed at the US National Archives and Records Agency (NARA) in Washington DC for anyone interested in a facts-based approach to historical events.

This is not to disregard the massive humanitarian crises that took place during this period.

President Erdogan back in 2014 – then the prime minister – expressed his condolences to the descendants of the Armenians who lost their lives in that period.

In Türkiye, as the government and the people, we grieve for all those who suffered and lost their lives during this tumultuous period in history: Muslims, Christians, Armenians, Turks, Kurds and people of other ethnicities and faiths.

Despite the challenges, Türkiye remains steadfast in its belief that the Turkish and Armenian people, who have a long history of living in tolerance and peace, can establish relations based on friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation.

If the countries in the region and beyond choose to invest in peace, the political and economic dividends will be high for the entire region. Türkiye would like to see third countries – including its allies in the West – either help usher in this new understanding or be at least wary of efforts to politicise a historical controversy and perpetuate hostilities.

What we, and indeed all the countries in the region, truly need is to be granted the space to find our own path towards peaceful coexistence and the shared prosperity that will inevitably follow. Let us be allowed to heal the scars of the past through our collective commitment to peace.