Russia says Armenia, Turkey ready to engage in "non-politicized" dialogue

PanARMENIAN.Net - Yerevan and Ankara have showed their readiness to conduct a dialogue in a constructive, non-politicized manner, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday, January 14, after the two countries' special representatives held their first meeting in Moscow.

Armenia has named lawmaker from the ruling Civil Contract party Ruben Rubinyan as special envoy to work on the normalization of ties with Turkey. Ankara, meanwhile, has appointed former ambassador to the United States Serdar Kilic for the same role.

Rubinyan and Kilic met in Moscow on January 14 in what the Armenian Foreign Ministry described "a positive and constructive atmosphere".

"Parties agreed to continue negotiations without preconditions aiming at full normalization. Date and venue of their second meeting will be decided in due time through diplomatic channels," the Foreign Ministry said.

According to a statement from Moscow, the two then held separate meetings with Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko.

"The parties showed their readiness to engage in dialogue in a constructive, non-politicized manner, in the spirit of openness and focus on practical results, moving in "small steps" from simple to complex," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"It was agreed to continue the search for common ground, which would work for the benefit of the peoples of the two countries, in the interests of stability and economic prosperity in the region."