Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s June 16–17 visit to Moscow was significant in several respects. Fidan not only met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. He also conveyed a message from President Tayyip Erdoğan to Russian President Vladimir Putin, briefed the Russian side on the U.S.-Iran understanding and Türkiye’s role in it, and held talks with
The NATO Summit will be held in Ankara on July 7–8. Thanks to the summit, Ankara is also gaining a new airport. The long-underutilized Etimesgut Military Air Base has been upgraded to international airport status under the name “Ankara Airport,” capable of accommodating even the Boeing 747 used as Air Force One by U.S. President
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan declared victory in the June 7 elections. Pashinyan’s Civil Contract Party, which advocates peace with Türkiye and Azerbaijan (and, it should be added, Georgia as well), won by a clear margin over its closest rival, Samvel Karapetyan’s Russian-backed, anti-compromise Strong Armenia Party. The Armenia Alliance, led by former Prime Minister