The head of Türkiye’s parliamentary foreign affairs commission said Tuesday that growing energy trade between Armenia and Azerbaijan is paving the way for broader regional normalization, including improved ties between Ankara and Yerevan.
Fuat Oktay, chair of Parliament's Foreign Affairs Commission, made the remarks during an official visit to Baku, where he attended a trilateral meeting of the foreign affairs commissions of Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
Speaking to reporters, Oktay described Azerbaijan as a friendly country and a second homeland, and said the South Caucasus is undergoing rapid political and economic transformation. He pointed to the initialing of agreements related to the Zangezur corridor and what he referred to as the “Trump Corridor,” as well as steps toward normalization between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“Oil trade is taking place directly between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” Oktay said. “This inevitably brings with it the start of a normalization process between Türkiye and Armenia.”
He reiterated that Ankara’s position has been that normalization with Armenia would move forward in parallel with a peace agreement and improved relations between Yerevan and Baku.
Türkiye and Armenia have already taken limited steps, including facilitating travel for holders of diplomatic passports and launching direct flights operated by Turkish Airlines (THY).
Oktay said Georgia plays a key role in regional connectivity, highlighting the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and overland transport routes linking Türkiye, Azerbaijan and the broader Turkic world. He expressed hope that expanded transport corridors would contribute to peace, prosperity and development across the region.
He added that reduced tensions could positively affect neighboring countries, including Iran and Russia, amid ongoing uncertainty fueled by the Russia-Ukraine war and U.S.-Iran tensions.
Oktay also noted that Türkiye aims to use parliamentary diplomacy alongside executive-level contacts to help lower regional tensions and support stability in the South Caucasus.
On Aug. 8, 2025, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met in Washington under U.S. mediation and signed a joint declaration reaffirming their commitment to ending decades of conflict. On the same occasion, the foreign ministers of both countries initialed a peace agreement, underscoring a shared determination to advance toward full normalization.
