Armenia rejects preconditions, "corridor" discussion

PanARMENIAN.Net - There can be no discussions on providing a "corridor" to Azerbaijan through Armenia, Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan has said in an interview with the Armenian service of RFE/RL.

"We have said many times that Armenia has not discussed, is not and will not be discussing any issue within the logic of a corridor," Grigoryan said in response to a question about whether Turkey is making the matter a precondition in negotiations with Armenia.

"The issue of the corridor is a red line for us, everyone is aware of it: Azerbaijan and all the countries that have have anything with Armenians are aware of it.

“In general, the attempt to speak in the logic of preconditions is a process that leads nowhere,” Grigoryan said, weighing in on the Armenian-Turkish negotiations, within which the first meeting of the special representatives of the two countries took place in Moscow on January 14.

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.