Turkey has Returned to Talking about Preconditions: Armenian MFA

Armenia has no intention of changing its policy on its relations with Turkey, since there’s no need, said Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian, while speaking to journalists in the Armenian capital today.

According to him, Armenia has always followed through on its promises, while Turkey today has gone back to the policy it adopted before the signing of the Armenia-Turkey Protocols in Oct. 2009; that is, to speaking of preconditions.

“Turkey has to change its policy and ratify [the accord] without preconditions, respect the agreements, so that we can move forward and normalize relations. The entire international community awaits this,” he said.

Nalbandian also commented on Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statement with respect to a monument in Kars to symbolize friendship between Armenia and Turkey. Recall that Erdogan reportedly had called the monument a “freak.” According to Nalbandian, such a comment does nothing but harm Armenia-Turkey relations.

“That statement is a new obstacle in normalizing Armenia-Turkey relations,” he said.