Erdogan declares willingness to work on normalization of relations with Armenia
Posted on September. 3. 2021
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared willingness to work towards normalization of relations with Armenia.
“We can work to gradually normalize our relations with an Armenian government that has declared its readiness to move in this direction,” the Turkish President told reporters today, the Hurriyet Daily News reports.
The comments come after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a government sitting on Friday that there were some positive public signals from Turkey. “We will evaluate those signals, we will respond to the positive signals with a positive signal,” he said.
“There is a need for new and constructive approaches in our region. Although there are differences of opinion and expectation, it will be a responsible course of action to make a sincere effort to develop good neighborly relations on the basis of trust, including respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Erdogan said.
He noted that joint constructive steps could be taken to “ensure sustainable peace and co-existence. “
The proposal for a five- or six-country platform, including Turkey, Azerbaijan, Russia, Iran, Armenia, and possibly Georgia, is still on the table, Erdogan said, adding that such a platform could bring relief and possibly solve problems in the region.