Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly Alen Simonyan had a meeting with Mustafa Sentop, Speaker of the Parliament of Turkey.
Speaker Simonyan noted that Armenia is constructively involved in the process of normalization of relations with Turkey. He said certain achievements were recorded within the framework of the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey.
The head of the Turkish parliament emphasized that his country is trying to be neutral with all the member states within the framework of the presidency of the BSEC PA.
Referring to the closure of Turkish airspace for Armenian airlines, the Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly expressed hope that the meeting would contribute to the solution of the problem. In response, Mustafa Sentop stated that the opening of the “Nemesis” memorial in Yerevan is a sensitive and painful issue for them, and the ban is a response to the unveiling of the monument.
Alen Simonyan noted that Armenia attaches particular importance to the opening of the Armenian-Turkish land border for citizens of third countries and diplomatic passport holders. He expressed regret that he was not able to cross the land border with a diplomatic passport to participate in the event.
“Despite the difference in the positions of Armenia and Turkey on a number of issues, we hope that this meeting will serve as a basis for establishing the Armenian-Turkish parliamentary dialogue and forming the necessary foundations to ensure its continuity,” said the head of the parliament.
According to Mustafa Sentop, Turkey seeks to normalize relations with Armenia. He believes that the possible early resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict is beneficial not only to the conflicting parties, but to the entire region.
Alen Simonyan reaffirmed that the Armenian side is guided by the peace agenda and will not deviate from that path. He stated that Armenia has no territorial claims against its neighbors, reaffirming that the goal of our country is the establishment of sustainable peace and stability in the region.
At the meeting, reference was made to Turkey-Azerbaijan allied relations, within the framework of which the Armenian National Assembly Speaker emphasized that Baku’s approaches are not constructive. Issues related to the return of Armenian prisoners of war held in Azerbaijan and the post-war situation were discussed.
