ANKARA—Diplomatic ties between Turkey and Armenia have been frozen for almost three decades due to longstanding historical animosities and Turkish support for Azerbaijan, Armenia’s perennial foe in the Caucasus region. But relations have thawed in recent months, with both countries taking tentative steps toward normalizing ties and reopening their 311-kilometer border.
“Armenia’s continued isolation in the region is unsustainable,” Talha Köse, a professor of political science and international relations at Istanbul’s Ibn Haldun University, told The Epoch Times.
“Normalized relations with Turkey would bring new opportunities, including Armenia’s integration into the regional economy.”
As a first step towards reopening the border, which has remained shut since 1993, mine-removal activities began last month in Turkey’s northeastern Kars province….