Armenia’s Geopolitical Limitations and Regional Cooperation Potential with the Turkic World

This study examines Armenia’s strategic position in the South Caucasus and its strained relations with Türkiye and Azerbaijan within the framework of nation-state building and modernization. Analysing the formation of Armenian identity through historical memory and cultural references, the processes of nation-state formation are examined in the context of relations with Russia and the West. The construction of Türkiye in particular, and the Turkic world more broadly, as the ‘other’ has functioned as a limiting factor in Armenia’s foreign policy and regional cooperation. The study emphasizes the restrictive effects on diplomatic and regional cooperation of Armenia’s refusal to acknowledge its historical and cultural ties with Türkiye, despite shared historical and cultural affinities with Turks, and its designation of Türkiye as the “other”. However, it is argued that the potential to serve as a bridge between Türkiye and the Turkic states of Central Asia offers a strategic opportunity to overcome Armenia’s current limitations. It has been stated that granting Armenia an observer status in organizations such as the Organization of Turkic States could encourage it to pursue policies in this direction, but that factors such as Russia, the West, and the diaspora make such a radical change in Armenia’s foreign policy vision difficult. The diplomatic opportunities that emerged after the Second Karabakh War in 2020 have increased Armenia’s ability to reshape its regional cooperation and modernisation strategies and necessitate a reassessment of the country’s international policy perspective. In this context, the study highlights the importance of re-examining Armenia’s identity construction and foreign policy strategies in the context of historical, cultural, and geopolitical factors.