Armenia says not negotiating normalization with Turkey "at the moment"

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia is not engaged in negotiations with Turkey at the moment, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has said in an interview with Nouvelles d'Arménie.

According to the government program, Armenia is willing to normalize relations with Turkey without preconditions, Mirzoyan noted.

"The lack of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey, the closed borders, as well as Turkey's open involvement in the 44-day war, the recent statements from Turkey about the so-called "Zangezur Corridor" have a negative impact on stability in the region," Mirzoyan said.

"Nevertheless, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in his public speeches has expressed the view of the Armenian side that in the event of Turkey's readiness to normalize relations and take appropriate steps, Armenia is ready to discuss the possibilities of building bilateral relations."

At the same time, the Foreign Minister said, no negotiations with Turkey are underway at the moment.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in late October that Armenia should mend ties with Azerbaijan if it wants better relations with Ankara.

In the war against Artsakh, Turkey supported Azerbaijan militarily, also by transferring terrorist mercenaries from the Middle East to fight against Karabakh. Armenia was the first to report on Turkey's deployment of thousands of Syrian fighters to Azerbaijan. International media publications followed suit, as did reactions from France, Russia, Iran and Syria.