Erdogan on Conversation with Pashinyan: "I Welcomed Hearing His Thoughts"

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has given an interview to Turkish state media TRT, during which he touched on Armenian-Turkish relations and his phone conversation with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, as reported by ermenihaber.am.

“We had a phone conversation with Prime Minister Pashinyan on the occasion of the religious holidays of both countries, during which we exchanged mutual congratulations. Naturally, we also talked about the ongoing normalization process between our countries,” Erdogan stated.

He emphasized that Azerbaijan has been a red line for Turkey from the very beginning and that the borders would be opened after resolving Azerbaijan's issues. “I welcomed hearing that Prime Minister Pashinyan shares thoughts with us regarding regional peace and cooperation. However, we now expect concrete actions beyond words,” Erdogan added.

According to Erdogan, Turkey is serious and determined in the process of normalizing relations with Armenia and seeks comprehensive resolution and the establishment of friendly relations.

Erdogan also reminded that there are more than 100,000 Armenians living in Turkey, stating, “Now there are over 100,000 Armenians in Turkey, our citizen Armenians and non-citizen but candidate Armenians. This shows our approach.”

Finally, the Turkish President reiterated that Ankara coordinates its actions with Baku.