Armenian opposition MP responds to Turkish envoy's remarks

Turkey’s special envoy for the normalization of relations with Armenia, Serdar Kılıç, said he felt “at home” in Yerevan during his visit to the Armenian capital for the European Political Community summit.

His comments sparked criticism from Armenian opposition lawmaker Tigran Abrahamyan, who accused Ankara of exploiting the aftermath of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war to cement its influence in Armenia.

“In the end, Turkish officials feel ‘at home’ in Armenia also because in 2020 they effectively realized a long-standing objective of becoming a decisive actor in the country,” he wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.

Abrahamyan, who represents the Pativ Unem faction, said it was “not surprising” yet “paradoxical” that a Turkish official expressing such comfort in Yerevan simultaneously emphasized that progress in bilateral relations depends on broader regional developments, particularly Armenia’s relations with Azerbaijan.

Abrahamyan argued that Ankara’s rhetoric about trust-building was contradicted by its continued blockade of Armenia. “Turkey closed the border in 1993, citing the liberation of Karvachar. Even after the Armenian authorities surrendered Artsakh to Azerbaijan, Ankara keeps setting new preconditions,” he said.

“This is yet another indication that foreign policy built on unilateral concessions and defeatism only leads to further losses," the MP added.