Armenia announced on Monday (7 March), that foreign minister, Ararat Mirzoyan, had accepted the offer to attend the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
The event, which will take place on 11-13 March, will be centred on discussions about international security with politicians and diplomats from around the world. Mirzoyan was formally invited in January following the inaugural meeting of the special representatives for the normalisation of relations between Armenia and Turkey. However, the Armenian foreign minister refrained from accepting the offer until there was more clarity on the direction of the talks; Armenia’s decision to participate was seen as hinging on the successful development of the process of re-establishing diplomatic ties with Turkey. Confirmation that Mirzoyan will attend should therefore be taken as an indication that the Armenian government is pleased with the current state of affairs. Officials from both the Turkish and Armenian government have recently spoken out in favour of a full normalisation of relations and the re-opening of the border.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement welcoming Mirzoyan’s decision, stating that “such reciprocal steps will contribute to the advancement of dialogue and discussions on confidence-building measures between the two countries in line with the aim of full normalisation”.