Turkey links normalization with Armenia to Azerbaijan, FM says

Turkey links the normalization process with Armenia to Armenia-Azerbaijan relations, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said in an interview with Correio Braziliense while on an official visit to Brazil.

"We have a very constructive dialogue with Turkey. Within this dialogue, there have been no preconditions set by either the Armenian or Turkish side. We have publicly stated that the goal of establishing diplomatic relations is the opening of the border between Turkey and Armenia. The border was closed by the Turkish side 34 years ago. We have made some tangible progress, such as lifting the ban on air cargo transport. We also established direct flights, among other confidence-building measures. We agreed that, in a first stage, the border could be opened for citizens of third countries and Armenian and Turkish citizens holding diplomatic passports. This agreement has not yet been implemented. What we hear from our Turkish colleagues is that they are restrained from fully opening Armenia’s border until the final normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Although there is no formal precondition, we have seen that they link Turkey-Armenia relations to Armenia-Azerbaijan relations. We believe that if we opened the border between Armenia and Turkey first, it could have a very positive impact on our relations with Azerbaijan," Mirzoyan remarked.

"Among the tangible measures achieved with Turkey, we have started, bilaterally, border infrastructure work. Armenian and Turkish experts have begun examining the situation of the railway linking Gyumri to Kars. There are processes underway. 

"We believe that lasting peace in the South Caucasus also depends on humanitarian issues, such as investigating the whereabouts of missing persons and victims of forced disappearances. But we also still have prisoners in Baku who have gone through staged judicial processes. We believe that the immediate release of these prisoners could help establish lasting peace between the two peoples," the minister added.