Russia Ready to Facilitate Armenian-Turkish Relations, Zakharova

Russia has acknowledged and taken into account the recent positive signals between Armenia and Turkey. This was stated by the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Maria Zakharova, during a press briefing.

“As you know, Russia has always been in favor of resolving Armenian-Turkish relations. It should be noted that we have previously directly participated in the relevant mediation efforts. For instance, we contributed to the signing of the Zurich Protocols in 2009. These implied a phased improvement in relations between Armenia and Turkey without preconditions,” Zakharova mentioned.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry representative, Russia has played not only a mediatory role but has also taken active, effective measures that have yielded positive results. “Later on, the parties did not carry them out, but that was the will of each state. We are now ready to contribute in every possible way to the rapprochement of the two neighboring states based on mutual respect and taking each other's interests into account,” Zakharova concluded.

During a meeting with foreign ambassadors accredited in Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that if Armenia takes positive steps toward establishing peace in the region, Turkey will respond accordingly. In response to that statement, during a government session, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted that Armenia will appreciate Turkey's positive signals and respond positively to those signals.