Armenia eyes 'complete normalization' with Trkiye

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan said he was pleased with the “positive dynamics” in the normalization process with Trkiye, the Caucasus country's long-time neighbor and enemy. The diplomat also said that they were ready for a complete normalization of relations.

Kostanyan was in New York with an Armenian delegation led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who met with President Recep Tayyip Erdoan on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly last Tuesday.

“We believe that there is much more to be done, especially regarding the complete normalization of relations, opening the border and establishing diplomatic relations,” Kostanyan told Anadolu Agency on Saturday (AA ). between Erdoan and Pashinyan as being “rather positive,” with both leaders showing a “willingness to understand each other’s positions.”

He pointed to previous agreements on issues such as opening borders to third-country citizens and diplomats, an agreement reached in July 2022 during the fourth round of normalization negotiations in Vienna.

“We have once again confirmed that the Armenian side is ready. We have carried out all the preparation of the necessary infrastructure and technical works and we are ready to proceed with the implementation of the agreement, the senior diplomat said. After the meeting in New York, Erdoan highlighted Pashinyan's “positive approach” to resolving long-standing issues between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Trkiye was one of the first countries to recognize Armenia's independence on September 21, 1991. But in 1993, Trkiye closed its borders and severed ties after the occupation of Karabakh by Armenia. After the Karabakh War in 2020, which saw Azerbaijan regain territory, Turkish-Armenian relations entered a new phase, and in December 2021, both countries appointed special representatives to lead negotiations on the process. of standardization.

Special representatives of Trkiye and Armenia, Turkish Ambassador Serdar Kl and Deputy Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Ruben Rubinyan, met on July 30 at their common border for the fifth round of normalization talks.

Kostanyan expressed optimism about future cooperation, especially regarding the reopening of the Kars-Gyumri railway, which he said would bring economic benefits not only to Armenia and Trkiye but also to the region in its together.

“We know that at present many logistics chains are blocked or not functioning properly, and that the Kars-Gyumri railway can become a new gateway for Armenia to Europe, for Trkiye to 'Central Asia and towards China,' he said.

“Much more can be done, and it can be done more quickly,” he said of normalizing relations.

“And the message that we always try to convey to our various Turkish counterparts is that now is the time to act. We must not run out of additional time,” he added.

“Partial peace”

Trkiye's broader ties with Armenia still depend on Azerbaijan, which itself is eyeing peace with its neighbor it has been fighting since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

“Partial peace” with Armenia is not a possibility, Azerbaijan's foreign minister told the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly on Saturday, after Yerevan offered a more optimistic message .

“Partial peace is not an option after so much pain and suffering inflicted by…territorial claims against neighbors,” Jeyhun Bayramov said at the assembly, insisting in particular on an amendment to the Armenian Constitution, which refers to “reunification” with Nagorno-Karabakh. .

Azerbaijan's lightning offensive unfolded last year at high-level U.N. meetings in New York, sparking disbelief and discontent among Western diplomats, particularly U.S. and French officials who had been deeply involved in the mediation efforts. On Thursday, Pashinyan said peace with Azerbaijan “is not only possible, but within reach.”

Azerbaijan and Armenia both say 80% of the treaty is ready, including border demarcation, but Azerbaijan wants a resolution of all issues first. In his speech to the UN, Pashinyan said he was ready to meet the Baku government's key demand to allow transport access through Armenian soil to the Nakhchivan enclave, thereby enabling the Azerbaijan to connect its main territory to its traditional ally Trkiye.

Pashinyan insisted that Azerbaijan and Armenia should sign the draft treaty immediately, explaining: “There is no precedent of a peace agreement or an agreement that would regulate and resolve everything.”

But on Saturday, Bayramov said any finalization of a deal would require Armenia to “legally abandon its territorial claims against Azerbaijan once and for all by implementing constitutional amendments,” so that Baku's territorial integrity would not or not in a “legal vacuum”.

He also accused Yerevan of carrying out a “dramatic increase” in its military budget and acquiring “a large quantity of offensive weapons from traditional and new suppliers.” Bayramov nevertheless acknowledged “significant progress” in the neighbors' efforts to normalize relations, calling for “rapid measures” to complete the process “at this critical moment.” Any modification of the Armenian Constitution must be done by referendum, a long and uncertain process. Western diplomats said they saw the request as a way for Baku to ask for the impossible to avoid signing a deal.

In light of these developments, Baku said on Sunday that its military positions in the autonomous enclave of Nakhichevan had come under fire from Armenia. A statement from the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said the Armenian army fired on its positions near the settlement of Yukhari Buzgov, almost 2 kilometers from the border. Stating that the incident occurred on Saturday evening at 11:20 p.m. local time (7:20 p.m. GMT), the statement said: “Adequate response measures have been taken by our departments in the mentioned direction.

Armenian authorities have yet to comment on the incident, although Yerevan has previously rejected such statements. The incident is the sixth such incident to be reported by Baku this month, with the previous case taking place last Thursday.

The Sabah Daily News Bulletin

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