Back in May, French President Emmanuel Macron said he envisioned a larger group beyond the European Union. And that idea became a reality with the European Political Community, which held its first summit in the Czech capital Prague. Everything facing Europe was on the table, from Russia's attack on Ukraine, to the global energy crisis and tensions in the South Caucasus. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the summit, where he met with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian. President Erdogan said full the normalization of relations can be achieved, and that he expects long time rivals Armenia and Azerbaijan to reach a peace agreement. Türkiye and Armenia have not had formal diplomatic ties since the 1990s, over Armenia's illegal occupation of the Karabakh region. During the summit, Erdogan also said he expects the EU to call on Greece for dialogue. Ankara and Athens have seen tensions rise dramatically this year over maritime disputes, and Greece's militarisation of islands close to Türkiye's coast. So will the European Political Community become a new platform or will it lack the authority of much older groupings like the EU and NATO?

Guests:

Richard Giragosian

Director of the Regional Studies Centre

Talha Kose

Professor at Ibn Haldun University