Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said he had held “in-depth” talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul — a move that Yerevan described as a “historic step” toward peace in the region.

The meeting between the two leaders — whose countries have never had official diplomatic relations and whose borders have remained closed since the 1990s — took place at the Dolmabahçe Palace and lasted just over an hour, the Turkish president's office said.

According to the same statement, the talks covered the peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, efforts to normalize relations between Turkey and Armenia, and the escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, the latter sharing a border with both Turkey and Armenia.

“President Erdogan stressed the importance of the progress achieved in the negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the current situation” and assured that Turkey would continue to “fully support efforts to develop the region through a ‘win-win’ approach,” the statement added.

The two also discussed possible future steps in the normalization process between Turkey and Armenia.

Erdogan assured Pashinyan that Turkey is using “all diplomatic means to ensure stability not only in the Caucasus but also in the entire region,” including through dialogue with other leaders to prevent the risks of tension between Iran and Israel.

In a post on the X platform, Pashinyan said he had held an “in-depth conversation” with Erdogan, during which they discussed the normalization process between Armenia and Turkey, regional developments, and the importance of ongoing dialogue. He assured the Turkish president that Armenia was “committed to building peace and stability in the region.”

Pashinyan's visit caused tension in Armenia. According to human rights organizations and lawyers' associations, police detained “several dozen” opposition activists in Yerevan and other parts of the country.

Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan told reporters ahead of the visit: “This is a historic visit, as it is the first time a head of state of the Republic of Armenia has visited Turkey at such a high level.”

A day earlier, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was also in Turkey for a meeting with Erdogan.

The two leaders emphasized the “significant” strategic partnership between the countries, and the Turkish leader reiterated his support for establishing peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

In March, Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed on the text of a peace agreement, but Baku subsequently set a number of conditions — including a demand for constitutional changes in Armenia — before the final signing of the document. | BGNES, AFP