Pashinyan: We are Ready to Restore Relations with Turkey, Depending on a Third Country

* Photograph: News.am TV

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Armenia-based panarmenian.net news website has reported that interim Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, whose alliance received 70 percent of the votes in snap general election on December 9, addressed Turkey-Armenia relations in his parliamentary speech.

On March 1, 2018, the then President of Armenia Serzh Sarkissian announced that the "Protocol on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Turkey and Armenia", which was signed in 2009, was cancelled.

Making statements signalling a possible restoration of relations between the two countries during his interim Prime Ministry, Pashinyan also made a statement regarding the issue at the Parliament yesterday (December 10). 

In his parliamentary speech, Nikol Pashinyan said, "We are ready to establish direct relations with Turkey without any preliminary conditions and hope that Turkey will take the same position."

"It is linked with the problem of Nagorno Karabakh"

Pashinyan continued, "However, relations with Turkey are linked with the problem of Nagorno Karabakh, and a third country. I mean Azerbaijan."

While visiting Baku in September, President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that relations with Armenia could not be improved until the Karabakh conflict was settled. (PT/SD)

* Source: panarmenian.net