EU Backs Unconditional Turkish-Armenian Normalization

The European Union reaffirmed its support for an unconditional normalization of Armenia’s relations with Turkey following annual consultations held by top EU and Armenian officials in Brussels on Tuesday.
The EU-Armenia Cooperation Council discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest, including actions stemming Armenia’s participation in the EU’s Eastern Partnership program. The unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Turkish-Armenian relations were also on the agenda.
The EU was represented at the meeting by its Enlargement Commission Stefan Fuele and Hungary’s Foreign Minister Zsolt Nemeth. The Armenian delegation was led by Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.
“The Cooperation Council took note of the state of play of the process to normalize relations between Armenia and Turkey,” the EU said in a statement issued the next day. “The EU underlined the importance of ratification and implementation of the bilateral protocols without preconditions and expressed support for continued efforts in this regard.”
In a separate statement issued on Wednesday, the Armenian Foreign Ministry likewise stressed that the bloc wants to see the Turkish-Armenian protocols, signed in October 2009, ratified “without preconditions.”