The Speaker of the Turkish Parliament and his Armenian counterpart met on May 4 during the 30th Anniversary of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC)

Summit and the 61st PABSEC Plenary Meeting. The Armenian Speaker raised concerns about obstacles to normalizing relations between the two countries, citing a recent monument erection in Armenia that was represented by opposition figures instead of government officials.

The Turkish Speaker reiterated Turkey's discomfort over the opening of the "Nemesis Monument" in Yerevan, which it claims glorifies terrorism and martyred 31 Turkish diplomats and their family members. Despite ongoing talks to normalize relations, Turkey and Armenia remain at odds over various issues, including the 1915 mass killings of Armenians during World War I, which Armenia considers genocide. Photo by Wikimedia commons.