The idea was to create a win-win situation where Azerbaijan would not only connect to Nakhchivan but Armenia could potentially join the Middle Corridor transportation link from China to Europe via Central Asia and the South Caucasus, ending its semi-isolation and exclusion from regional energy and transportation projects.
A lively crowd of passionate fans eagerly gathered outside Elektrowerk, a repurposed Soviet-era factory in Tbilisi’s Isani district, last weekend. They were here to see[ME1] punk legends, The Exploited who had come from delivering electrifying shows in Yerevan and Istanbul just days earlier. Now they were bringing raw energy, rebellious spirit, and a dose of punk-infused chaos, to the Georgian capital.
During my brief stay in Istanbul on the way back to Tbilisi from a visit home to England I visited the atelier of renowned Turkish jeweller Sevan Bıçakçı. Sadly, like the first time I visited it another stay in Istanbul in 2021, Bıçakçı wasn’t there, but I did get to sit down with his Creative Director, Emre Dilaver. My new piece for The Caspian Post.
The Caspian Post last week published my first piece on what can be hoped are real and genuine efforts to accelerate the latest efforts to normalise relations between Yerevan and Ankara following the recent and devastating earthquake in Turkey. During the last attempt to establish diplomatic relations in the late 2000s I covered that process extensively, including working with the BBC, Al Jazeera English, and The Wall Street Journal on various stories. Looks like I’ll now be doing the same throughout 2023.
In what could possibly prove to be a milestone in relations between the Republics of Armenia and Turkey, Yerevan today sent five trucks carrying 100 tons of humanitarian assistance to its neighbour following last week’s devastating earthquake. The aid was destined for the southeastern Turkish city of Adiyaman.
At time of writing, the number of fatalities from the tragedy, which reached a magnitude of 7.8, has already surpassed 21,000 with over 80,000 injured. A state of emergency in Turkey has been declared.
Though it had been announced in early December that direct cargo flights would start between Armenia and Turkey by the end of last year, the apparent deadlock in the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process, as well as the impasse between Yerevan, Baku, and Stepanakert on the Lachin Corridor, hardly prepared anyone for such an eventuality. However, a news report published by the Andalou News Agency on 6 January 2023 confirmed that Ankara had indeed given the go-ahead for such flights starting 1 January.
Depending on who you ask, Armenia and Azerbaijan are either moving closer towards signing a long overdue peace deal or Yerevan is under duress from Baku to capitulate further following its defeat in 2020. Both can be true, of course, but the reality is that there is only a limited window of opportunity available to reach such a negotiated settlement. Following the recent fighting on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, it seems the international community understands that only too well.
While not necessarily a historic moment, the resumption of direct flights between Yerevan and Turkey are a welcome development, especially following the 2020 Karabakh war. Though not new for both countries, this reconnection is largely been seen as part of post-war attempts to unblock regional economic and transport links as part of the 2020 November ceasefire agreement and a resulting, renewed attempt to normalise Armenia-Turkey relations.
Having already been shown at the Galata Fotoğrafhanesi Fotoğraf Akademisi in Istanbul last year, the Beyond Waiting: Stories from the Turkey-Armenia Border multimedia exhibition finally hits Yerevan today and will run from 27 August to 7 September at the ACCEA/NPAK Armenian Center for Contemporary and Experimental Art. Without a doubt it’s one of the best cross-border media projects I’ve seen in the region and especially as it presents Armenia-Turkey relations and the closed border in a new and very compelling way.