YEREVAN — Armenia is prepared to have fully normalized relations with Turkey as early as tomorrow, without any preconditions, according to Ruben Rubinyan, Armenia’s special envoy for the normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations.
Speaking with reporters at the National Assembly, Rubinyan stated, “We discussed the normalization process in its entirety with the Turkish representative—that is, the implementation of all agreements reached during this period.”
“Some of those agreements have been implemented, some have not,” he added. “There are certain ongoing efforts related to the restoration of the historical Ani Bridge. Recently, a meeting was held in Istanbul with technical experts. We also discussed this.”
Referring to the Margara border crossing, Rubinyan emphasized that Armenia has fulfilled its obligations.
“That is one of the agreements that has not yet been implemented—not due to Armenia’s fault. As you may recall, Armenia renovated the Margara crossing, and everything is ready for the implementation of that agreement. We are now waiting for Turkey to do its part,” he said.
Rubinyan also mentioned that there is no update yet on the issue of opening the border.
When asked whether Turkey still insists on tying Armenia-Turkey normalization to progress in Armenia-Azerbaijan relations, Rubinyan responded:
“I can tell you what Armenia insists upon: Armenia is ready to establish fully normalized relations with Turkey as early as tomorrow—without any preconditions. Furthermore, as you know, the text of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement has already been agreed upon. We are ready to sign that agreement as soon as possible. The Prime Minister is prepared to do it. We have proposed to Azerbaijan to begin consultations on the time and place of the signing.”
When asked why Azerbaijan is delaying the signing of the peace agreement and what the reasoning behind the delay might be, Rubinyan remarked:
“I don’t think there’s a need for me to explain the reasoning—everyone knows that Azerbaijan is not the most constructive country in the world. I’ve stated our position, and the rest is now in Azerbaijan’s court.”
On April 11, Ruben Rubinyan and Serdar Kılıç, the special envoys for the normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations, held a meeting within the framework of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum.
