Ankara Pushes for Peace Deal as Regional Transit Stakes Rise

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, speaking at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, has publicly signaled that Ankara expects a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan to be finalized in the near future. While the diplomatic rhetoric emphasizes regional stability, Fidan’s comments explicitly tied the necessity of this treaty to the security of the so-called “Middle Corridor,” a transit network vital to Turkey’s geopolitical and economic influence in the Caucasus and Central Asia.

The Geopolitics of Connectivity

Ankara’s active promotion of a peace settlement is not merely a gesture of neighborly goodwill; it is a strategic maneuver to secure reliable transit routes. Fidan underscored that the “Zangezur corridor” remains a critical path for Turkey, noting that Ankara is actively coordinating with European partners on these logistics. For Turkey, a normalized relationship between Yerevan and Baku is the prerequisite for unlocking these trade flows, which aim to diversify and accelerate investment across the Turkic-speaking world.

Sovereignty and the Institutional Framework

While Turkey positions itself as a facilitator, the Armenian government maintains that the legal foundation for peace has already been established through the border delimitation commissions. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan recently clarified that while a comprehensive treaty is pending, the 2024 regulations—which reference the Alma-Ata Declaration—already provide a de jure framework for mutual recognition of territorial integrity. This institutional approach seeks to replace decades of skirmishes with a binding legal architecture, distancing the process from the volatile “mini-wars” of the past.

• Turkey views the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process as a key enabler for its ‘Middle Corridor’ transit project.
• The Armenian government emphasizes that the 2024 border delimitation regulations already provide a de jure basis for peace.
• International observers, including U.S. intelligence, note that significant hurdles remain, particularly regarding Baku’s demands for constitutional changes in Armenia.

Ultimately, the push for a treaty must move beyond the transactional logic of transit corridors. A sustainable peace, consistent with liberal democratic values, requires the total abandonment of hate speech and the resolution of long-standing human rights concerns, including the status of displaced populations. If the process remains focused solely on power-brokering and economic transit, it risks creating a fragile stability that ignores the fundamental rights and security of the people living on both sides of the border. Genuine peace will only be secured when the focus shifts from the demands of regional powers to the lasting protection of sovereignty and individual dignity.