Armenia is ready to sign a peace agreement with Azerbaijan if Baku shows the same political will based on principles previously agreed upon by the two sides, and is keen to make progress on normalizing relations with Turkey, Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan said on Saturday.
“This is an issue of political will and leadership,” Kostanyan told Reuters in an interview during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey.
He said Yerevan had shown the political will needed, including at talks on Friday between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Turkey, Baku’s main backer.
“Now, if the Azerbaijani side is really interested in having peace, we just need to agree to put the agreed principles by the leaders (on paper) and sign it,” he said.
Armenia, Azerbaijan close to peace deal
Yerevan and Baku said in December they wanted to reach a peace deal after decades of being at odds, but no agreement has been signed yet.
Kostanyan said the two sides needed to recognize each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and drew attention to Yerevan’s “Crossroads for Peace” plan for opening communication lines in the region to help regional stability.
Normalizing relations with Turkey
Kostanyan said Armenia wanted a full normalization of ties with Turkey, including the opening of their shared border and establishment of diplomatic relations.
“The establishment of diplomatic relations is basically communications between two states,” he said. “Of course, reconciliation between two nations can take longer, but we need to have diplomatic relations which will help us and help our people.”
He said Yerevan had done the work needed to open borders with Turkey, including infrastructure repairs, and was awaiting Ankara’s response.
Turkey and Armenia are at odds primarily over the 1.5 million people Yerevan says were killed in 1915 by the Ottoman Empire, the predecessor to modern Turkey.
Armenia says this constitutes genocide. Turkey accepts that many Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire were killed in clashes with Ottoman forces during World War One, but contests the figures and denies it was systematic.
He said Yerevan had shown the political will needed, including at talks on Friday between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Turkey, Baku’s main backer.
“Now, if the Azerbaijani side is really interested in having peace, we just need to agree to put the agreed principles by the leaders (on paper) and sign it,” he said.
Armenia, Azerbaijan close to peace deal
Yerevan and Baku said in December they wanted to reach a peace deal after decades of being at odds, but no agreement has been signed yet.
The most divisive issue has long been the Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan. Baku’s forces recaptured the mountainous area in September after years of ethnic Armenian control, prompting most of its ethnic Armenians to flee to Armenia.To follow up the meeting between President of #Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister of #Armenia Nikol Pashinyan held in Munich on 17 February, the Foreign Ministers of two countries are holding talks in Berlin to advance the normalisation process leading to a #peace treaty. pic.twitter.com/qBmGtiFKV4
— Fakhraddin Ismayilov (@IsmayilovFN) February 28, 2024
Kostanyan said the two sides needed to recognize each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and drew attention to Yerevan’s “Crossroads for Peace” plan for opening communication lines in the region to help regional stability.
Normalizing relations with Turkey
Kostanyan said Armenia wanted a full normalization of ties with Turkey, including the opening of their shared border and establishment of diplomatic relations.
“The establishment of diplomatic relations is basically communications between two states,” he said. “Of course, reconciliation between two nations can take longer, but we need to have diplomatic relations which will help us and help our people.”
He said Yerevan had done the work needed to open borders with Turkey, including infrastructure repairs, and was awaiting Ankara’s response.
Turkey and Armenia are at odds primarily over the 1.5 million people Yerevan says were killed in 1915 by the Ottoman Empire, the predecessor to modern Turkey.
Armenia says this constitutes genocide. Turkey accepts that many Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire were killed in clashes with Ottoman forces during World War One, but contests the figures and denies it was systematic.
Source: Reuters
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