We Are Very Concerned About Turkey's Destabilizing Policies: Zohrab Mnatsakanyan

Question: Minister, this is your first visit to Egypt and the Arab world, where thousands of Armenians live. Considering the historical relations between Armenia and the Arab world, how do you see the future of relations between Egypt, Armenia, and the Arab world?

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: You know, the Middle East and the Arab world are a natural environment for the Armenian people. We have a long history of living and coexisting together; the civilizational bond between our nations has deep roots. I believe we have exceptional examples of mutual respect – respect for our cultures, civilizations, and religions. There is much talk in the international agenda about the dialogue between civilizations and religions. We are aware of this from our centuries-old history and the strong traditions built on solid foundations. Indeed, a significant part of the Armenian people's life in this region constitutes that. The Armenian community in Egypt has made a tremendous contribution to building friendship between our states. We have a very interesting agenda with Egypt, and we are looking forward to hosting the President of Egypt in Armenia.

Question: Minister, as far as I know, you have met with the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit today. In this regard, how do you assess the coordination of relations between Armenia and the Arab League, especially politically?

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: We have a fairly good tradition of working with our partners within the Arab League, and it was a great honor for me to be hosted by the Secretary-General. We had a very important and extensive discussion on many issues related to the Middle East, on which we have established positions and approaches, through which we demonstrate our interest and engagement regarding issues of paramount importance to Armenia. We cannot be indifferent to many developments taking place in the Middle East for the very reasons I have already mentioned; the stakes are very high. Relations with the Arab world are extremely important for Armenia and represent one of the pivotal directions of Armenia's foreign policy. Therefore, we cannot be indifferent to all this, and this dialogue is an essential part of our work. We had a broad exchange of ideas and observations regarding the latest developments with the Secretary-General. Of course, there are many concerning developments, and our steadfast interest in maintaining stability and peace remains unwavering; we will work in this direction with all our partners.

Question: In this regard, how does Armenia assess the peace agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel?

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: Of course, we are closely monitoring these recent developments. We have a very important agenda and relations with the UAE. Recently, we established a physical presence in Tel Aviv through our embassy. We have various issues with Israel and engage in discussions on those matters in different contexts. We have an important agenda of cooperation and friendship with the UAE, and we highly value our very dynamic relations. And of course, we have our steadfast position regarding the Palestinian issue, which remains unchanged; we support a negotiated solution to the Palestinian issue through a two-state approach. Certainly, we are closely following the developments. We hope that such dialogue, this peaceful process is the only way to address a highly sensitive and historic conflict. We are hopeful that similar developments will contribute to the interests, concerns, and priorities of all parties involved. We are paying close attention to the developments and are fully confident that they will foster peace.

Question: You mentioned that “our country has enough strength to defend our national security.” Who was that statement addressed to?

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is an existential, physical security issue for us Armenians. This matter is based on a very strong awareness of security and the right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh. Recognition of those rights has always been a very significant priority for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh alongside security and a stable environment. Also, it is only possible to achieve a peaceful negotiated solution based on mutual concessions. Concessions imply diligent work that takes into account the interests of all parties and finds the critical balance of the commitments that will lead to a resolution. Any unilateral maximalist approach cannot serve as a solution because, as I said, this matter pertains to existential security, thus the determination to defend is very strong. Nevertheless, we are very clear that this conflict does not have a military solution. We are very concerned about the highly destabilizing policies of our other neighbor, Turkey, which acts from positions of force, aggressive rhetoric, and actions. These actions manifest in the strong military support to Azerbaijan and the strengthening of military presence there. We also receive very alarming information about terrorists being recruited in some areas of the Middle East, who are supposed to be transferred or have already been transferred to Azerbaijan. This is not a welcome policy; it is an extension of influence throughout Turkey's neighborhood. We are concerned, we observe, and we monitor the developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, North Africa, and the Middle East and see the spread of influence as a manifestation of this policy. This does not contribute to peace; it is a highly destabilizing policy.

Question: Minister, you mentioned that Turkey’s behavior affects the security of the South Caucasus, North Africa, and the Eastern Mediterranean. How can Turkish actions be addressed?

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: I believe you are aware that our policy has been exclusively focused on stability, which can be achieved through diplomacy, dialogue, discussions, and negotiations, and unfortunately, we are witnessing Turkey’s rejection of such methods. Back in 2009, Armenia took a very serious and complex path. You understand a nation that, being a victim of the genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire and still bearing the deep scars of denied justice, worked in this direction. However, these efforts were rejected by Turkey, the protocols were rejected by Turkey and the current government of the country, while our policy faced the false promises of negotiations. Of course, this is an effort that requires consolidation and solidarity, and we are in solidarity with all parties. We had the opportunity to express this here in Cairo during our meetings. Regarding the Eastern Mediterranean, we express our solidarity to Egypt as we did with Greece and Cyprus. We are working in other directions to help the Middle East, and only through coordination of efforts by all actors in the region, including Turkey, can we constructively work towards reducing tensions and a negotiation-based solution. I think this applies to the entire international community: to consolidate capabilities for the sake of strengthening security.

Question: Minister, you have good relations with Iran, and recently you had talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif.

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: Yes, we have a very comprehensive dialogue with Iran on a multitude of international and regional issues, and of course, one of our most crucial principles of foreign policy is not to build relationships with one partner at the expense of relations with another partner, whether it concerns Iran or any other partner. And this is a very fundamental principle that, naturally, is not an easy task.

Question: And the last question, during your visit to Cairo you met with Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb and Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria. In your opinion, how is it possible to build relationships based on peace and tolerance among different faiths to make the world a more peaceful and secure place?

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: I believe that the history of Armenia, the history of the Armenian people living in solidarity with the Arab world and the people of the Middle East serves as a guiding light on how to build relationships based on mutual respect and care. We have profound respect for Islam and a historical experience of living with Islam. Our identity has taught us to value and prioritize the history, perception, and care of others, rejecting any attempts to politicize religion. The latter is something we sometimes face in the context of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict when we witness attempts by some extremely irresponsible politicians to inject the argument of religion, which is absurd for us because we, as Christians, are a nation living in solidarity with Islam. And the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is absolutely not about religion.