Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said the process of establishing diplomatic relations with Turkey is not tied to Armenia’s ongoing peace negotiations with Azerbaijan, pushing back against comments made earlier by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
Responding to a request from Armenpress to clarify Yerevan’s position, Mirzoyan reaffirmed that Armenia considers the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border and the launch of full diplomatic ties with Ankara a strategic priority.
At the same time, he stressed that Armenia remains committed to “institutionalizing peace” with Azerbaijan.
“Armenia is making sincere efforts on both tracks,” Mirzoyan said. “But neither component is conditioned by the other. And if one insists on drawing a causal link, one might even conclude that full normalization with Turkey could have a positive, not negative, impact on Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization.”
His remarks came after Turkey’s Fidan argued that opening the border too early could “remove Armenia’s main incentive” to sign a peace agreement with Baku – an assessment Mirzoyan clearly rejected.
The Armenian minister also recalled that the core principles for unblocking regional transportation links had already been agreed during the August 8 Washington Peace Summit, where the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the United States endorsed a framework for regional connectivity.
