Armenia’s Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan

“We are strong enough to ensure our security,” says Foreign Minister Mnatsakanyan

Armenia’s Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said that Turkey actions remain a threat to Armenia’s national security

“After recent hostilities on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border the international community made numerous calls for de-escalation and an end to violence. Turkey was the only country in the region to try to bring even greater instability to the region, instead of trying to reduce tensions,” Mnatsakanyan told the Russian Interfax news agency in an interview published Monday.

“Turkey’s policy of destabilization and aggression is a threat to all neighboring regions, including the eastern Mediterranean, northern Africa and the Middle East,” said Mnatsakanyan. “Today Turkey is trying to export this policy of destabilization to the South Caucasus region.”

“This is a serious concern,” warned the foreign minister. “Turkey is pursuing an unconstructive and dangerous policy. Turkey’s actions continue to pose a threat to the security of Armenia. In this regard, Armenia will work to further strengthen its security, including through cooperation with its partners.”

On relations with Azerbaijan and the Karabakh conflict settlement process, Mnatsakanyan told Interfax that Armenia was strong enough to ensure its own security, saying it was pointless to expect any progress in the talks “while Azerbaijan is stoking hatred on one hand and insisting it aims for peace on the other.”

“It is impossible to assume we can have real progress in the negotiations amid the Armenophobia and warlike language,” Mnatsakanyan told Interfax.

The foreign minister told the Russian news outlet that Armenia and Artsakh “have sufficient strength and resources for ensuring their security and defense. The crushing rebuke of Azerbaijan’s attack in July has proven that again.”

Armenia’s top diplomat said that a status of Artsakh whereby its people’s right to self-determination is ensured is a priority for Yerevan in the negotiations.

“Ensuring the Artsakh people’s right for self-determination without any limitations and provision of real, tangible security for Artsakh is a key priority. And we are ready to work with both the [OSCE Minsk Group] co-chairs and Azerbaijan to define formulas that will enable us to compare the measure of possible compromise,” said Mnatsakanyan.

“The full involvement of Artsakh in the negotiation process is a very important issue and, among other things, it is practical, because this will strengthen the sense of ownership in relation to the negotiation process on the part of the leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh, which, being elected by the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, has a corresponding mandate to represent their interests,” Mnatsakanyan told Interfax.