Nikol Pashinyan held a telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on June 5, according to a statement from the Armenian government press service.
During the call, Pashinyan extended his congratulations to Erdoğan on the occasion of Eid al-Adha (Kurban Bayram). In return, Erdoğan congratulated Pashinyan on Armenia being selected to host the European Political Community (EPC) Summit in the spring of 2026.
The two leaders discussed Armenian-Turkish relations and broader regional developments, expressing a shared commitment to continuing their dialogue.
It’s worth noting that Pashinyan had previously welcomed the decision for Azerbaijan to host the EPC Summit in 2028. He highlighted that both Armenia and Azerbaijan supported each other’s bids to host the summit—an act he described as a positive and constructive gesture toward fostering regional cooperation.
The last formal meeting of the two leaders took place in New York in September, within the framework of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly. During that meeting, Pashinyan and Erdoğan reviewed the steps already taken and the agreements reached within the normalization process between Armenia and Turkey. Both sides had reaffirmed their readiness to continue this process without preconditions.
The leadership’s continued push to normalize the relations with Turkey, and by extension to align more closely with Azerbaijan’s regional ambitions, raises serious concerns about the cost of such diplomacy. While framed as a step toward peace and integration, these efforts risk undermining core aspects of Armenian identity, historical truth, and the will of its people.
Turkey’s long-standing refusal to recognise the Armenian Genocide and its close alignment with Azerbaijan during the recent conflicts make reconciliation deeply contentious. In pursuing normalization under these conditions, the Armenian government appears increasingly willing to compromise on historical memory and national values, which prioritize geopolitical pragmatism over the dignity and interests of Armenian people.
