Turkish and Armenian Parliament Speakers Meet in Ankara

ANKARA — Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan met with the Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of  Turkey Mustafa Sentop on May 4. Simonyan participated in the 30th Anniversary of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) Summit and the 61st PABSEC Plenary Meeting held in Ankara.

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 Parliament of Turkey underscored that his country, in the framework of the presidency of PABSEC, tries to be neutral with all member states, adding that at this moment there are also conflicts among the member states.

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 the relations with Armenia. To his conviction, the possible urgent solution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict benefits not only the parties to the conflict, but also to the whole region.

Alen Simonyan reaffirmed that the Armenian side is being led by the peace agenda and will not be deviated from that agenda. He documented that Armenia has no territorial claims against its neighbours, reaffirming that the goal of our country is the establishment of continuous and peace and stability in the region.

At the meeting reference was made to Turkey-Azerbaijan allied relations, within the framework of which the RA NA President stressed that the approaches of Baku are not constructive, and the latter acts from maximalist positions. Issues regarding the return of Armenian prisoners of war being held in Azerbaijan and the post-war situation were discussed.