From Frozen Ties to Open Skies: Turkish Airlines to Connect Armenia and Türkiye

From Frozen Ties to Open Skies: Turkish Airlines to Connect Armenia and Türkiye

by | Oct 3, 2025 | Armenia, Armenia-Turkey, Commonspace

Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to Tbilisi © Onnik James Krikorian 2019

“Welcome to Armenia,” the pilot’s voice came over the tannoy as the Turkish Atlasjet flight touched down in Yerevan some time in 2011. “The temperature outside is…” A normal announcement on any flight. This one, however, came in Turkish before being repeated in English. In Armenia. That was 14 years ago now. Despite the lack of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the flights have existed for years albeit with some interruptions and later operated by Pegasus and Flyone.

My flight to Istanbul was to make a presentation on my work on Armenian-Azerbaijan reconciliation and coexistence for the Hrant Dink Foundation. The organisation was holding a multimedia workshop for journalists and photographers from Armenia and Türkiye and understood how the two processes were linked even if many have long preferred that they weren’t..

 

[…]

 

According to media reports at the weekend, Turkish Airlines, Türkiye’s national flag carrier, plans to operate flights to and from Armenia. Though this was not a public announcement, it was a filing on Türkiye’s Public Disclosure Platform (KAP), an official system. No dates or other details were provided, instead emphasising that this would occur subject to market conditions and public demand.

 

[…]

 

But it is not all plain sailing ahead. Normalisation between Armenia and Türkiye still remains contingent on the same between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Speaking after the meeting between Rubinyan and Kılıç, Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan said it would come only after a peace agreement between Yerevan and Baku is signed. This, he says, is anticipated in the first half of 2026.

The full piece is available here.

 

CONFLICT VOICES e-BOOKS

 

Conflict Voices – December 2010

Short essays on the Nagorno Karabakh Conflict
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Conflict Voices – May 2011

Short essays on the Nagorno Karabakh Conflict
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Five Years Later, Armenians and Azerbaijanis Need to See Each Other Differently

Five Years Later, Armenians and Azerbaijanis Need to See Each Other Differently

by | Sep 25, 2025 | Armenia, Azerbaijan, Commonspace

A local child in the ethnic Azerbaijani village of Tekali in Georgia. Situated directly on the border with Armenia and Azerbaijan, it was also host to Track II meetings in the early 2010s, offering a rare opportunity to include local ethnic Armenian and Azerbaijani residents of the surrounding region, and also from nearby regions in Armenia and Azerbaijan. © Onnik James Krikorian 2012

This Saturday marks the fifth anniversary of the Second Karabakh War. To be honest, and personally speaking, it had always seemed the continuation of the first waged between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the early 1990s. After all, in the three decades between both, the conflict had nearly always been described as ‘frozen’ rather than resolved – at least until it wasn’t.

Whatever it is called, the 44-day-war claimed around 7,000 lives on both sides and was hardly unexpected. Since 2011, with no breakthrough on the horizon, that had been clear for almost a decade. The International Crisis Group had already warned of a war breaking out by accident even if others demonstrated no sense of urgency. For some, however, it was not a case of if but rather of when.

 

[…]

 

On the eve of this year’s anniversary, however, a new mood might finally be emerging. In the past two years there has been remarkable progress and it finally seems that the sides are on the verge of an agreement. This is especially the case since August when Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and U.S. President Donald Trump met in Washington.

 

[…]

 

Perhaps for the next anniversary such projects can exist again, using the same mass media in order to reach the maximum number of people across entire society. It could well prove a much needed opportunity for mutual reflection, setting the scene for the future with images that humanise. A picture is worth a thousand words. In some cases, and more often than not, they can say even more.

The full piece is available here.

 

CONFLICT VOICES e-BOOKS

 

Conflict Voices – December 2010

Short essays on the Nagorno Karabakh Conflict
Download in English | Russian

 

Conflict Voices – May 2011

Short essays on the Nagorno Karabakh Conflict
Download in English | Russian

Symbolism Meets Realpolitik in Armenia-Türkiye Normalization Efforts

Symbolism Meets Realpolitik in Armenia-Türkiye Normalization Efforts

by | Sep 17, 2025 | Armenia, Armenia-Turkey, Commonspace, Turkey

The prospect of peace in the South Caucasus may finally be within reach. Following the high-profile meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the White House as facilitated by U.S. President Donald Trump on 8 August, hopes are rising that Yerevan and Baku could soon sign a long-anticipated peace treaty. That breakthrough has already been welcomed internationally, sparking renewed movement on the Armenia–Türkiye track as well. Opening the Armenian-Türkiye border has long been a policy objective for successive governments in Yerevan.

It is also considered essential not only for the landlocked and semi-isolated country to sufficiently improve its economy, but also to diversify policy in key areas such as security and energy. Many have argued that Armenia has been too reliant on Russia since independence was declared in 1991 while the belief Moscow would support Armenia militarily in its conflict with neighbouring Azerbaijan evaporated in 2020. As Yerevan and Baku edge closer to signing an already completed peace treaty, there are now hopes for similar between Yerevan and Ankara.

 

[…]

 

For many, this momentum suggests that the border with Türkiye, closed since 1993 in solidarity with Azerbaijan, might finally reopen. But Ankara quickly tempered expectations. Following the meeting last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan again reiterated that normalization with Armenia would follow only after a peace deal with Baku. He nonetheless announced that such an agreement could come in the first half of next year, suggesting a possible breakthrough in 2026.

 

[…]

 

Indeed, the signs are more encouraging than at any time in the past three decades. The Washington meeting has injected new momentum, and symbolic gestures such as the wives of the Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Turkish leaders posing together recently in China are accumulating. Whether this will culminate in treaties and open borders depends on whether all sides can overcome the final obstacles – constitutional amendments in Armenia, agreement on the terms sought by Azerbaijan for traveling through Armenia to its Nakhchivan exclave, and political will in Türkiye.

The full piece is available here.

 

CONFLICT VOICES e-BOOKS

 

Conflict Voices – December 2010

Short essays on the Nagorno Karabakh Conflict
Download in English | Russian

 

Conflict Voices – May 2011

Short essays on the Nagorno Karabakh Conflict
Download in English | Russian

Despite disillusionment, Pashinyan favourite to win crucial 2026 vote in Armenia

Despite disillusionment, Pashinyan favourite to win crucial 2026 vote in Armenia

by | Sep 7, 2025 | Armenia, Armenia Elections, Azerbaijan, Commonspace, Constitution

Graphic: AI Generated

Next year’s parliamentary elections in Armenia will not focus on the economy or other domestic issues, but rather on the country’s place in the surrounding region and relations with its neighbours.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, down but not out following military defeat and political upheaval, has staked his future on reaching what would prove to be a historic peace agreement with Azerbaijan. But with public trust at an all-time low, disillusionment among the electorate could make this the most unpredictable vote since independence was declared in 1991.

 

[…] 

  

[…] ten months before the vote, the outcome still remains difficult to predict. Though it still seems most likely that the incumbent will win, a great deal will also be determined during the official campaign period itself, and new developments on the ground. If peace with Azerbaijan is finally within reach, and there are signs that this is the case, it will be difficult for voters to reject stability instead of insecurity and the further risk of war. Ultimately, the 2026 election will determine not just who governs Armenia, but whether the country can finally emerge from decades of conflict and semi-regional isolation, or if it is destined to remain trapped by it.

The full analysis is available here.

 

CONFLICT VOICES e-BOOKS

 

Conflict Voices – December 2010

Short essays on the Nagorno Karabakh Conflict
Download in English | Russian

 

Conflict Voices – May 2011

Short essays on the Nagorno Karabakh Conflict
Download in English | Russian

People-to-People Contact Remains Absent in Armenia–Azerbaijan Normalisation

People-to-People Contact Remains Absent in Armenia–Azerbaijan Normalisation

by | Aug 26, 2025 | Armenia, Azerbaijan, Commonspace, Georgia

Two lifelong friends, one an ethnic Azerbaijani (left) and the other an ethnic Armenian (right), in a coinhabited village in Georgia © Onnik James Krikorian 2017

“You must be glad to be here,” the bartender told my friend, a journalist for a major international media outlet just arrived that evening in Yerevan from Baku via Tbilisi. He raised an eyebrow in response as the bartender slowly poured our drinks.

“You must be glad to be here,” the bartender told my friend, a journalist for a major international media outlet just arrived that evening in Yerevan from Baku via Tbilisi. He raised an eyebrow in response as the bartender slowly poured our drinks.

 

[…]

 

“Because Azerbaijanis are Muslims, they don’t drink, and there are no bars in Baku,” she replied, somehow absolutely convinced that she was correct.

 

The exchange was almost comical, but revealed something deeper. Three decades of conflict had turned former neighbours into strangers. In Tbilisi, where ethnic Armenians and Azerbaijanis live side by side, it would be met with ridicule. Only last October I sat at a table where the vodka flowed as a local Armenian sang in Azerbaijani and ethnic Azerbaijanis expressed their appreciation in Armenian.

The full piece is available here.

 

CONFLICT VOICES e-BOOKS

 

Conflict Voices – December 2010

Short essays on the Nagorno Karabakh Conflict
Download in English | Russian

 

Conflict Voices – May 2011

Short essays on the Nagorno Karabakh Conflict
Download in English | Russian