Normalization with Turkey could have positive impact on Armenia-Azerbaijan process – Mirzoyan responds to Fidan

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan responded to the statement by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who said that normalization of relations with Turkey is important for Armenia, but if Turkey does it now, it will take away Armenia’s biggest motive for signing a peace agreement with Azerbaijan.

 “First of all, establishing diplomatic relations with Turkey and opening the border are indeed important for Armenia. Likewise, further institutionalizing the peace established with Azerbaijan is also important. Armenia is making sincere efforts in both directions. However, neither of these components is conditioned on the other, and if we were to insist on seeing a causal link between them, it might turn out that the full normalization of relations with Turkey could have—not a negative but, on the contrary—a positive impact on the normalization process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

As for the unblocking of transport infrastructure, at the peace summit held in Washington on August 8, the core principles of this process were agreed upon—territorial integrity, inviolability of borders, sovereignty, jurisdiction, and reciprocity. Within this framework, the TRIPP route will connect Azerbaijan with Nakhichevan, Armenia with other countries, and—on a broader geographic scale—different regions with one another through Armenia and Azerbaijan. Armenia is actively and constructively striving to implement this as soon as possible,” Mirzoyan said.