Armenia Prepared for Complete Normalization of Relations with Turkey, States Rubinyan

Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia and expert on Armenian-Turkish relations, Ruben Rubinyan, has stated that Armenia is fully prepared for the normalization of relations with Turkey. His comments were made during an interview with CNN TÜRK, where he emphasized the significance of opening of Turkey’s border for citizens of third countries, and the readiness for full normalization of relations.

Rubinyan was in Antalya, Turkey within the context of a diplomatic forum. During this forum, the Turkish envoy Seydar Kilic suggested that Rubinyan should meet in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, the following week to make a historic event. In response, Rubinyan expressed his willingness to discuss the invitation and decide on the final decision.

Kilic reaffirmed his previous statement, indicating that a meeting between the two representatives has been decided on. He stressed that the only thing left to determine is the date and place of the meeting.

The last known meeting between the representatives of the two countries took place in June 2022. During this meeting, both countries agreed to open the land border for citizens of third countries as soon as possible. The border was opened briefly after this meeting, to allow trucks carrying humanitarian aid from the Armenian government to reach victims of a devastating earthquake in Turkey.

However, since 2022, there has been no other significant progress in Armenian-Turkish relations. This lack of progress indicates the complexity and sensitivity of the relations between the two countries. The upcoming meeting between Rubinyan and Kilic, therefore, represents a key opportunity for the two countries to further discuss and potentially accelerate the normalization process.