Armenia's constitution blocks border opening with Türkiye Yerevan's adventurous combination

The Armenian government is attempting to execute an adventurous combination in the South Caucasus under the pretext of normalizing relations with Türkiye. Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan, speaking at the "APRI 2024" forum, stated that Yerevan considers the Armenia-Azerbaijan and Armenia-Türkiye processes as separate and distinct from each other.

"We consider these processes separately. There are Armenia-Azerbaijan relations and Armenia-Türkiye relations. And we work in these directions differently. Yes, some interconnection is possible. But our approach is as follows: if there are two complex formulas to solve, and you combine these complex formulas, the solution becomes even more complicated. Therefore, they need to be separated. Our understanding and approach are that we have two different directions," Grigoryan said eloquently.

From the statements of the Armenian official, one can conclude that Yerevan is trying to play out a "settlement format" for Armenian-Turkish relations, which is based on building bilateral relations between Ankara and Yerevan without considering the interests of Baku. It is evident that the ruling elite of the "country of stones" has not yet drawn proper conclusions that the full normalization of Armenia's relations with Türkiye is only possible by taking into account Azerbaijan's interests. Meanwhile, Yerevan continues to torpedo the normalization of relations with Baku, relying on the support of its Western partners who are promoting the militarization of the region through military supplies to Armenia. So, how appropriate is it to talk about the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations considering these factors? Let's try to figure it out.

What does Armenia want from Türkiye?

It is no secret that Yerevan has long dreamed of opening the border with Türkiye. This issue was raised by Armenia even during the period of occupation of Azerbaijani territories but remained unresolved due to Türkiye's firm stance. Ankara clearly stated that the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border would be possible after the settlement of the Karabakh conflict and the full restoration of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity.

At the current stage, with Azerbaijan having definitively settled the Karabakh issue, the Armenian side is attempting to revive the question of opening the Turkish border, referring to previous agreements with Türkiye. This is particularly confirmed by Armen Grigoryan's statements that "Armenia expects that the agreement reached on opening the land border for holders of diplomatic passports and third-country nationals will be implemented," as well as the statements made by Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan during a press conference in Estonia.

"Armenia is ready to establish diplomatic relations with Türkiye and open the border," the Armenian minister said during a joint press conference with his Estonian colleague Margus Tsahkna, not forgetting to remind that Armenia has agreements with Türkiye on the gradual normalization of relations and the opening of borders.

Indeed, in February of last year, the same Mirzoyan, at a government meeting presenting the results of his visit to Türkiye (February 15, 2023), reported on certain agreements between Armenia and Türkiye. "Specific agreements have been reached. There is a decision to expedite the dialogue process with the aim of finally opening the border between Armenia and Türkiye," Mirzoyan said at the time, confirming that there was an agreement to open the Armenian-Turkish border for third-country nationals and holders of diplomatic passports from Armenia and Türkiye before the start of the tourist season.

In early June 2024, the Deputy Speaker of the Armenian Parliament and special representative for negotiations with Ankara, Ruben Rubinyan, told journalists that Armenia has not yet seen steps from Türkiye towards opening the border but hopes that the previously reached agreements will be fulfilled.

As we see, the Armenian side constantly reminds Türkiye of certain agreements regarding the opening of the border, yet it does not address the reasons that hinder the normalization of relations with Ankara. In March of this year, Mesut Hakkı Caşın, a member of the Security and Foreign Policy Council under the President of Türkiye, expressing Ankara's position in the corridors of the III Diplomatic Forum in Antalya, warned Armenia that by indulging France, Yerevan further complicates its situation in the region. He also stated that the path to opening the Armenian-Turkish border lies through an objective attitude towards Azerbaijan.

In other words, Ankara reminded Yerevan that the issue of opening the Armenian-Turkish border is directly linked to Armenia's policy towards its neighbours and the non-interference of third countries, primarily France, in it. At the same time, Türkiye emphasized that the resolution of the issue of opening the Armenian-Turkish border is possible with consideration of Azerbaijan's interests.

Ankara demands Yerevan to amend the constitution

One of Ankara's important conditions for normalizing relations with Yerevan is the amendment of the Armenian Constitution, which retains territorial claims against Azerbaijan and Türkiye. This position was articulated by the chairman of the Council of Elders of the Organization of Turkic States and former Prime Minister of Türkiye, Binali Yıldırım, in March of this year in Baku.

"It is necessary to amend the Constitution of Armenia. The state emblem of Armenia depicts our lands and Mount Ağrı (Ararat). This must be eliminated," Yıldırım said, speaking at a conference where he addressed the issue of opening the Zangezur corridor, which Armenia is obstructing. "The Zangezur corridor must also be opened. Armenia had this opportunity after the resolution of the Karabakh issue," Yıldırım stated.

In essence, Türkiye has already outlined its conditions to Armenia, without which it is meaningless to talk about restoring diplomatic relations and opening the border. The main message from Türkiye to the Armenian side is that Yerevan's illusions about rapprochement with Ankara bypassing Baku's interests are completely groundless and will not be realized in practice. Whether Yerevan will finally grasp this important message from Ankara remains a big question. In any case, the opening of the border depends on Yerevan's further steps, provided they align with Baku's peaceful agenda.