South Caucasus meeting based on sense of regional ownership: Turkish foreign minister

Primary goal of meeting on South Caucasus is to respond to need for forum where all issues closely related to region can be addressed, says Hakan Fidan

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that Friday’s third meeting of the South Caucasus Regional Cooperation Platform is grounded in regional ownership, as the countries of the region are best suited to solving the problems they face. “Our perspective on the South Caucasus is also based on a sense of regional ownership. We believe that the states of the region know the regional problems best and are capable of solving them,” said Fidan in his opening speech at the meeting, which includes his counterparts from Russia, Iran, and the South Caucasus nations of Azerbaijan and Armenia. The South Caucasus platform serves as a consultative ground aimed at establishing lasting peace in the South Caucasus and evaluating cooperation opportunities, he added. Fidan said the idea of establishing the platform emerged in the weeks after Nov. 9, 2020, when a trilateral statement was signed establishing a cease-fire in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, in which Azerbaijan liberated much of the long-occupied region of Karabakh. The platform’s primary goal is to respond to the need for a forum where all issues closely related to the South Caucasus can be addressed, he said. “Unfortunately, we are missing one participant in the room,” Fidan added. “I would like to reiterate before you all that our close neighbor and friend, Georgia, has a permanent place here and can join this platform whenever it wishes.” Fidan said that as a reflection of Türkiye's vision, they plan to adopt a joint statement on the main outcomes of the meeting at its conclusion. The meeting aims to evaluate actions that can be taken to establish stability and enhance prosperity in the region, including concrete cooperation projects to strengthen regional connectivity. There will be an exchange of views on prominent regional and international developments. Fidan is expected to highlight Türkiye’s efforts to establish peace and stability in the South Caucasus, emphasizing that regional ownership is the most effective method for resolving issues. Fidan is anticipated to stress that Ankara supports the ongoing peace agreement negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia and that a normalization process has also been initiated between Türkiye and Armenia. In addition, it is expected that Fidan will stress the importance of economic sectors as confidence-building measures, particularly highlighting connectivity and economic integration. After the meeting, a joint statement is planned to be adopted by the participating countries. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also expected to meet with the visiting foreign ministers.​​​​​​​