Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Akdeniz İİBF Dergisi, cilt.23, sa.2, ss.200-210, 2023 (Hakemli Dergi)
Since Armenia's independence, the development of relations between Türkiye and Armenia has been a highly contentious issue in both countries. The disputes predominantly revolved around the events of 1915 and have consistently dominated Turkish-Armenian relations. This study employs a critical constructivist perspective to examine the “Nakhichevan Crisis,” the only foreign policy crisis between Türkiye and Armenia, spanning from May 1992 to September 1993. According to critical constructivist scholars, national interests are not solely objective realities; they are shaped by social and cultural influences. The primary hypothesis of this article is that the deeply entrenched historical protracted conflict has significantly impeded the progress of relations between Türkiye and Armenia. The chosen methodology for this research involves process tracing, utilizing the prominent Turkish political resource known as the “Ayın Tarihi” Journal (History of the Month) beside of secondary resources. Furthermore, parliamentary debates have also been included in the analysis to establish a comprehensive understanding. The preservation of Nakhichevan's autonomous status, rooted in contractual law, has wielded a considerable impact on the formulation of Turkish national interest. However, the prevailing notion that “Türkiye has the right to intervene” in Nakhichevan was initially voiced by Heydar Aliyev and later gained widespread acceptance and turned into dominant representation. This notion has functioned as a substantial barrier hindering the bilateral relations between Türkiye and Armenia, a situation that persisted until the outbreak of the Second Karabakh War.