Pashinyan Wants Agreements with Turkey Quickly Implemented

By Asbarez | Thursday, 07 July 2022

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signaled that he wants agreements reached last week on normalization of ties between Turkey and Armenia to be implemented quickly.

Ankara and Yerevan agreed last week to open the border between Armenia and Turkey to citizens of third countries and to begin transport of cargo by air. The agreement was reached when the special envoys from both countries—Ruben Rubinyan and Sardar Kilic—tasked with advancing the normalization process met in Vienna on July 1.

During Thursday’s cabinet meeting Pashinyan told relevant government agencies to work to implement the decisions made last week.

“It is now very important that our agencies work with relevant Turkish agencies because the implementation of the political agreements depends on that work,” Pashinyan said. “So my order is that we work in a coordinated way so that we implement the agreements reached as soon as possible.”

During the envoys meeting last week “they discussed other possible concrete steps that can be undertaken towards achieving the ultimate goal of full normalization between their respective countries,” according to a statement that was publicized by the foreign ministry.

“Finally, they reemphasized their agreement to continue the normalization process without preconditions,” added last week’s statement.

Ahead of the July 1 meeting, Rubinyan told reporters that much progress had not been made in the talks, adding that the rhetoric from Turkish leaders that Ankara is coordinating the process with Baku at all steps, as well as references to the so-called “Zangezur Corridor,” did not positively impact the process.

Earlier this week, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the next meeting of the special envoys should take place in Turkey and his country would be glad to host it. Armenia has not responded to such an invitation.

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