Turkish FM: “Ankara to discuss with Baku any steps to normalise relations with Yerevan”
Any steps to normalise relations with Yerevan will be discussed and taken by Ankara together with Baku. The Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said this at a joint press conference with his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov.
Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili told him about the offer from Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for a meeting. Later, the press secretary of the Armenian Prime Minister Mane Gevorgyan stated that there were no official contacts between Yerevan and Ankara, but the Armenian side is ready for them.
"There is no plan (to normalise relations with Armenia) yet. Pashinyan made statements, we met them positively. Azerbaijan made a proposal for a peace treaty to Armenia. So far, no positive response has come from Armenia. But we will discuss and take any steps with Azerbaijan," the Turkish Foreign Minister said.
It should be reminded that the Armenian government’s programme for the next 5 years contains a point on readiness to make efforts to normalise relations with Turkey, which, according to the document, "meets the interests of stability, security and economic development in the region."
Armenian Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan also said that Yerevan considers it possible to normalise relations with Ankara without preconditions. “The government of Armenia has repeatedly stated that there should be peace and stability in the entire region. We need to improve relations with Turkey" said Grigoryan.