Armenia expects that diplomatic relations to will be established and the border between the two countries will be opened as a result of the dialogue that kicks of on January 14, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Vahan Hunanyan told Armenpress.
Ahead of the first meeting between the Armenian and Turkish special envoys to be held in Moscow, Hunanyan underscored that the Turkish government seems to shares the approach of the Armenian side on starting the dialogue without preconditions.
Asked about the main goals Armenia wants to achieve through the process, Hunanyan said: “Armenia’s expectations from that dialogue are actually the same as they have been since the early 1990s. We expect that as a result of the process diplomatic relations will be established between Armenia and Turkey and the border between the two countries, which was unilaterally closed by Turkey in the early 90s, will be re-opened.”
Responding to the claims that by agreeing to start dialogue with Turkey, Armenia has already accepted Turkey’s preconditions, the Spokesperson said: ” The Republic of Armenia has always stated its readiness to normalize relations with Turkey without any precondition. In this regard I have to state that Armenia’s stance hasn’t changed, and the same position is reflected in the 2021-2026 Armenian Government Program.”
“In our contacts with international partners, we have repeatedly stressed the need to adhere to the principle of “no preconditions.” Our impression is that the Turkish government also shares the approach of starting the dialogue without preconditions,” he added.
“The meeting of the special envoys of Armenia and Turkey will be hosted by the Russian side in Moscow,” the Spokesperson said, adding that “it is difficult to expect tangible results from a single meeting, but this will kick off the process.”
