Armenia's Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, is set to participate in the inauguration ceremony of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to a statement released by his office.

The statement confirmed that Armenia received an invitation to attend the prestigious event and announced Prime Minister Pashinyan's travel to Ankara on June 3 to be present at the ceremony.

Tensions between Turkey and Armenia have long centered around the events of 1915, with Turkey rejecting the term "genocide" and instead characterizing the incidents as a tragic consequence of World War I, affecting both Turks and Armenians.

In an attempt to address the historical controversy, Ankara has consistently proposed the establishment of a joint commission comprising historians from Turkey and Armenia, overseen by international experts, to investigate the matter.

In December 2021, both nations appointed special envoys to aid in the process of normalizing relations. This occurred a year after Armenia suffered a defeat to Turkey's ally Azerbaijan in a war over the control of the Armenian-occupied Karabakh region. Azerbaijan successfully recaptured most of the disputed territory, with the assistance of Turkish combat drones, which had been under ethnic Armenian control since the 1990s.

Signs of thawing relations between Turkey and Armenia were evident when the two countries resumed commercial flights last year after a two-year hiatus. However, it is essential to note that in 2009, Ankara and Yerevan signed an agreement aimed at normalizing relations, including the prospect of reopening their shared border. Unfortunately, Armenia did not ratify the agreement, and in 2018, the process was abandoned.

The attendance of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at President Erdogan's swearing-in ceremony serves as a notable development in the diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey, highlighting the ongoing complexities and efforts toward reconciliation. (ILKHA)