MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
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PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
Telephone: +37410. 544041 ext. 202
Fax: +37410. 565601
Email: [email protected]
Minist er Nalbandian comments on Turkish Prime – Minister’s remarks
Question. Turkish Prime-Minister stated, that till Nagorno Karabakh
question is not solved, Armenian-Turkish border will not open, and made
some insulting remarks on Armenian Diaspora. What would be your comment?
Answer. Turkish side is informed, and we are confident that they realize,
that we exclude the conditioning of the normalization of Armenian-Turkish
relations by the steps towards the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh
conflict.
Trying to link those two processes, could ruin one and another. Number of
countries, including the Minsk Group Co-Chairs countries have expressed
the same position. They stated repeatedly that the normalization of the
Armenian-Turkish relations must be without preconditions.
With this mutual understanding we have started and conducted negotiations
and came to agreements, reflected in the initialed protocols.
If Turkish authorities have problems with the signing of documents, they
should not try to solve them by distorting the spirit, essence and goals
of the initialed documents.
The signing and implementation of agreed documents is a difficult process.
Nevertheless, Armenia is ready to respect the agreements and go forward.
If the authorities of current Turkey are not ready today to recognize the
fact of the Genocide perpetrated in Ottoman Empire, they are at least
obliged to respect the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and their
descendants.