Armenia invites Erdoğan, Aliyev to Yerevan summit

YEREVAN

Armenia has invited Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Azerbaijani President İlham Aliyev to a summit scheduled to take place in Yerevan next year, as normalization efforts between the countries make progress.

The leaders were invited to attend the European Political Community (EPC) summit in the Armenian capital in May 2026, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan told the parliament.

Mirzoyan said the invitations were communicated verbally, with official documents to follow.

When asked about the likelihood of the leaders attending the summit, he said it was too early to comment, noting that the matter is still very new.

“We have not yet had the opportunity to discuss the details,” he added.

Highlighting Armenia’s commitment to peace and reconciliation, Mirzoyan also referenced potential reciprocal visits between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia.

“I am not saying that we are ready to see Aliyev in Yerevan or Prime Minister Pashinyan in Baku today, but one day this will happen. This is the path we must follow,” he said.

Mirzoyan further emphasized that Armenia maintains “very intensive dialogue” with Türkiye.

“Our 2026 plans and ongoing efforts are not limited to normalizing relations with Azerbaijan or establishing a settled peace — they go beyond that,” he said.

On the topic of peace with Azerbaijan, Mirzoyan described the declaration and normalization agreement signed in Washington on Aug. 8 as a “milestone.”

On Oct. 21, Azerbaijan officially removed all barriers to cargo transit to Armenia.

Armenia and Azerbaijan were embroiled in a bitter conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh from the late 1980s. The region had operated with de facto independence for three decades until Azerbaijan regained full control in 2023.