YEREVAN — Three months after Russia brokered the Armenian-Azerbaijani agreement to stop the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia and Turkey are holding no talks on opening their border, Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazian said on Wednesday.
Ayvazian signaled Yerevan’s desire to see the border opened soon when he spoke in the Armenian parliament.
“As you know, the [Turkish] blockade, the closure of the [Turkish-Armenian] border was the result of the Nagorno-Karabakh status quo, which has changed through a use of force. Turkey therefore no longer has any reason to keep its border with Armenia closed,” he told lawmakers.
“At the moment no [Turkish-Armenian normalization] process is underway,” he said. “But Armenia and our diplomacy will be making meaningful efforts so that our neighborhood becomes more favorable for Armenia’s security.”
“As a state, as a government and as a society we should strive to deescalate the situation, which will, in turn, contribute to the strengthening of the security environment,” he noted.
Turkey completely shut down the border between the two neighboring states in 1993 and has refused to establish diplomatic relations with Armenia since then out of solidarity with Azerbaijan. It has also maintained a ban on all imports from Armenia via third countries.
During the recent Karabakh war the Armenian government similarly decided to ban the import of all Turkish goods. The government cited Ankara’s “inflammatory calls,” arms supplies to Azerbaijan and “deployment of terrorist mercenaries to the conflict zone.” It said the six-month ban, which went into force on December 31, is meant to neutralize “various kinds of dangers” emanating from the “hostile country.”
Ankara has yet to clarify whether a Karabakh settlement acceptable to Baku remains a precondition for normalizing Turkish-Armenian relations after the six-week war that resulted in the restoration of Azerbaijani control over all districts around Karabakh.
Some Armenian analysts have speculated that it may now also demand that Yerevan stop seeking greater international recognition of the 1915 Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey.
The Armenian-Azerbaijani ceasefire agreement also calls for the restoration of transport links between Armenia and Azerbaijan. A trilateral “working group” formed by the Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani governments for that purpose held its first meeting in Moscow late last month.
1 comment
As long as the Turkish President, Recep Erdogan, is in power, there will be NO beneficial change in the negative policies and attitudes of Turkey toward Armenia and its borders!.Anyone fool enough to think anything different, does not understand Turkish politics and their continual hatred of the Armenian people and nation! Our Armenian politicians need to wake up and take their heads out of the sand concerning any positive decisions and policies coming from Turkey for Armenia!!!!
The Kurdish and Armenians need to form an alliance, to combat against any Turkish aggression in the present and future!
Secondly, We need the Christian world to begin donating to Armenia much needed modern weapons, training & expertise, to combat any future aggression and invasion from Turkey, Israel and Azerbaijan in Karabakh and Armenia.
Shame on Israel, for supplying military arms and Drones to Azerbaijan, that to contributed to the defeat of the: Armenian population,loss of land, soldiers and army in Karabakh..
For the past 25 or more years, Israel government and its Zionist followers always professed to the world that Armenians and Jews shared the same horrible fate of “Holocaust & Genocide.” Israeli Government continually professed that they were very sympathetic to our Armenian Genocide cause sufferance, inhumane treatment and the unspeakable atrocities committed by Turkish Ottoman Empire! Israeli continual lying propaganda!
The “Secret Jewish Society,”,”Donme,” who were Jews living in Turkey, converted from the Jewish religion to the Turkish Muslim religion. These Jewish Muslims, of the secret society of “Donme,” greatly participated with the Ottoman Turkish Empire rulers and army,, to plan, participate and execute the complete annihilation of the Christian Armenian population; during Armenian Genocide of 1915 to 1923..
Therefore, this is on TWO major occasions that the Jews, their Zionist followers and the Israeli Government contributed to the demise of the Armenian people and nation!
John Chookasezian, Artistic Director
Chookasian Armenian Concert Ensemble
USA