Turkey’s Special Envoy, Viewed as Acceptable by Armenian Authorities, Has Been an Active Lobbyist Against Genocide Recognition

Turkey has appointed Şerdar Kılıç, a former ambassador of Turkey to the United States, as its special representative for the normalization of relations with Armenia. Sergey Melkonian, an employee at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, revealed the identity of the negotiator on his Telegram channel and shared his concerns and observations on what to expect from the dialogue involving him.

Melkonian informed that Şerdar Kılıç, not only a public denier of the Armenian Genocide but also an active lobbyist against its recognition, has become an acceptable figure for negotiations from the perspective of the Armenian authorities. “No official statement has been made by Yerevan to the contrary. The nationalistically oriented elite would consider such a move as a deliberate offense,” he noted.

As a second point, Melkonian mentioned that with this appointment, Turkey demonstrates that it does not abandon its approaches regarding the genocide issue. “After such a move, the normalization process can be halted due to Ankara's lack of goodwill,” he stated, adding that the actual acceptance of this individual as a negotiator by the Armenian side indicates that the topic of the Armenian Genocide is not only secondary—something that can be set aside—but also that concessions are being made on this issue. Turkey is not ready for genuine normalization of relations.

“The Turkish 'normalization of relations' means the eradication of the Armenian political factor. This is once again confirmed by this appointment. Such 'negotiators' are enemies of history who falsify the facts about the Armenian Genocide and the state, wishing to destroy the nation because Artsakh and the Diaspora will also be under threat,” Melkonian wrote.