The approval rating of Ekrem Imamoğlu, the Mayor of Istanbul, who was arrested in Turkiye, continues to rise. Many people who had no prior opinion of him now recognize Imamoğlu as a defender of democracy.

Axar.az reports that this was stated by Armenian Turkologist Musheg Khudaverdyan.

He evaluated the potential impact of Imamoğlu's presidency on Turkiye-Armenia relations, saying:
"In general, no major changes are expected in Turkiye’s politics. Even if Ekrem Imamoğlu becomes president, he will be forced to abide by the provisions of a document prepared by former Turkish leader Turgut Özal in 1991. That document states that the normalization of relations between Ankara and Yerevan is linked to the improvement of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations. True, Imamoğlu has a positive attitude towards Armenians. However, it should be noted that the issue of opening the Armenia-Turkiye border is a red line that no Turkish leader has crossed to date."

It should be noted that a detention order was issued for Ekrem Imamoğlu in the course of a corruption investigation related to the Istanbul Municipality (İBB). He has been sent to Silivri Prison.

It is also worth mentioning that Imamoğlu has good relations with the Armenian communities in Turkiye. He has previously visited villages with significant Armenian populations, toured Armenian churches, and met with clergy members there.