Armenian FM: Normalization process with Türkiye has “matured considerably,” border could open soon

Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Ararat Mirzoyan took part in the Half-Baked or Step-by-Step? Rethinking EU Enlargement panel discussion within the framework of the Warsaw Security Forum.

President of Montenegro Jakov Milatović delivered opening remarks.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Kęstutis Budrys and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania Oana-Silvia Țoiu also participated in the panel discussion, moderated by Steven Everts, Director of the European Union Institute for Security Studies (The Netherlands.)

Mirzoyan said Armenia will continue to deepen ties with the EU.

Mirzoyan said the process of normalizing relations with Türkiye has matured considerably, expressing hope that the Armenia-Türkiye border could open soon.

He also spoke about the connectivity projects.

Below is a transcript of the Q&A between FM Mirzoyan and the moderator, published by the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

Moderator: Thank you. I would now like to turn to Minister Mirzoyan. We have heard that it is an imperative, that it is a long, quite complicated process. From Yerevan’s perspective, there is quite positive momentum in relations between your country and the European Union. Could you say what the end point is when you get on this train heading towards Europe? What is the final destination for you?

Ararat Mirzoyan: Greetings to everyone. Let me start by presenting what we have at the moment.

Our relations with the European Union are unprecedentedly deep and close and cover an unprecedentedly broad range of sectors and areas. We have a dialogue on visa liberalization. We have had and continue to have the EU Monitoring Mission, which observes the situation on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. Recently, we have also received a second mission, which is temporary in nature but operates on a permanent basis and supports us in countering hybrid threats.

Although we are not a candidate country for EU membership, we have received autonomous trade measures. This is the latest news: the EU has adopted autonomous trade measures to support the diversification of Armenia’s export markets. We have also signed an agreement with the European Union that will enable us to participate in various EU missions carried out in different parts of the world.

Again, although we are not a candidate country for membership, we have received a Growth and Resilience Plan and EU support. Although we are not a candidate country, we have also received support under the European Peace Facility.

Thus, this is not just about political dialogue or support in the fields of the economy or trade. It is also about security, foreign policy, and other areas.

I mention all this to show that, together with the European Union, we are in a process of continuously discovering new horizons, with the aim of bringing the EU and Armenia increasingly closer to each other.

Your question is what the end point, the final destination, is. I am afraid I will disappoint you, but I think nobody knows. Neither Armenia, nor the European Union, nor the member states. Let me explain the actual situation. In Armenia, to be completely honest, serious discussions on EU membership have only just begun. We have not yet had in-depth public discussions on this issue, although in the spring of 2025 we adopted a law on launching the process of Armenia’s accession to the European Union. This is the Armenian side’s perception.

Now let us look at the EU’s perception. We have already heard several remarks on this issue.

There is also a third layer, which is extremely important in our case: Armenia’s neighborhood. Let us list our neighbors. Azerbaijan: we have only recently established peace and started bilateral trade. We are opening each other’s territories for transportation and transit and unblocking regional communications. However, a number of sensitive issues still need to be resolved. To the west is Türkiye, with which we are conducting a very intensive dialogue. We are normalizing relations, but the border is still closed. To the south is Iran, with its complex regional environment, circumstances, and problems. To the north are Georgia and Russia.

As for Russia, you can imagine the possible reaction and the particularities of relations with that country. Historically, we have had very close relations and continue to maintain strong ties today, but the possible reaction must be properly managed. Nobody wants to acquire new enemies, and we have no interest in harming any third party.

As for Georgia, imagine how much easier the situation would be if Georgia continued on its path toward EU integration. That would bring about a significant change and would also change the nature of our discussion with the foreign minister on this stage.

Thus, returning to the main question, I think nobody knows the final destination. But the good news is that, at least in my impression, both of us — Armenia and the European Union, including the member states — are enjoying this process. So let us enjoy these warm relations, discover new opportunities and new layers of cooperation, and at some point in the future, we will discuss together whether we should “get married” or not.

Moderator: Thank you very much. There is an expression in British English: "To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Given the political situation in the European Union, perhaps this is an appropriate expression.

Minister Mirzoyan, I would like to return to a question you have already touched upon: your country’s regional environment and neighbors. Could you elaborate on how your country’s strengthening relations with the European Union, of which you gave numerous examples, can become a driver or a tool for positive change in relations with, for example, Azerbaijan or Türkiye? How can this help you strengthen relations with your neighbors?

Ararat Mirzoyan: My direct and honest answer is that these two issues may not be so closely interconnected, because, regardless of everything, we will continue to improve relations with our neighbors. This is not driven by our European policy or European aspirations.

On the other hand, we must acknowledge that if our aspiration is to become a full member of the European Union, the existence of problems or conflicts with our neighbors will probably hinder this process.

At the same time, we should also pay attention to what the President of (Montenegro) was saying over the past few minutes. They have fulfilled the requirements under all chapters. They have all the necessary checkmarks for all the points, subpoints, and even sub-subpoints. And we must acknowledge that, ultimately, it has always been a political decision. So where is the political decision regarding Montenegro?

This is very important for Armenia from the perspective of analyzing the situation when planning its own steps. We also heard the [Lithuanian] minister’s account of how decisions are made behind the scenes, behind closed doors. All these are important factors in our own decision-making process as well.

Thus, returning to your question, regardless of everything, we will continue to improve relations, and we have almost reached our goal.

We have peace with Azerbaijan, although a few more steps still need to be taken.

We are normalizing relations with Türkiye. The border is still closed, but I think the process has already matured considerably, and it is entirely possible that tomorrow morning we will wake up and see the following headline in the news: “Armenia-Türkiye border is open.”

Moderator: Let us hope that will be the case. Thank you all for these positive signals. Minister Mirzoyan, as a final point, what would you say about the United States and its role in your region?

Ararat Mirzoyan: I would prefer to leave the assessment of US-EU relations to officials of the European Union and the United States. What I can say is that, in my country and probably in the South Caucasus in general, their interests do not contradict each other, and they are cooperating excellently.

As you know, the United States is heavily involved in the South Caucasus, particularly in the process of opening and unblocking transport links between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This will be a crucial connecting link for communication and transportation, for example, between Portugal and China, between the West and the East.

I think the European Union and its member states are also beneficiaries of this process.

Thus, the interests of many countries and centers of power around the world converge on the issue of unblocking the South Caucasus.