The Process of 'Normalization' of Armenian-Turkish Relations is Merely a Smokescreen: Gegham Manukyan

For three consecutive days, information has circulated that an agreement has been reached regarding the reconstruction of the Ani Bridge between Turkey and Armenia. Çavuşoğlu, in the presence of Ararat Mirzoyan, mentions the bridge on the Silk Road, while it is generally accepted as the historical Ani Bridge,” said Gegham Manukyan, a member of the 'Armenia' faction of the National Assembly, to reporters today, February 17.

However, as early as 2017, Turkey's Minister of Culture and Tourism, Numan Kurtulmuş, along with the Minister of Maritime Affairs, Communication, and Transport, visited Kars and talked about the future of the bridge while visiting the historical monuments of Ani, including near the bridge. Moreover, in 2019, the Turkish Minister of Environment spoke about the Silk Road being very important and that the bridge should be repaired. On June 23, 2019, Turkey's former Minister of Transport announced that the Turkish Railways Administration had announced a competition for the reconstruction of the Ani Bridge. Numerous other sources in Turkey also announced that official actions had begun for the bridge's reconstruction. At that time, there was no Armenian-Turkish normalization process, nor was there a 44-day war, in which Turkey actively participated. The reconstruction of the Ani Bridge has no connection with today's Armenian-Turkish dialogues,” noted Gegham Manukyan.

According to him, in recent days, various projects and sketches related to the Kars Bridge have been circulating on the Armenian internet, but these sketches have been published in Turkish sources since 2019. “Still, on June 29, 2020, there were numerous publications in the Armenian press stating that the historical Ani Bridge was under reconstruction. This once again confirms that the process of 'normalization' of Armenian-Turkish relations is merely a smokescreen, a beautiful collection of small details presented to our people as if serious processes are taking place,” added Gegham Manukyan.

He stated that during the government session on June 25, 2020, a change was made to the budget that included the reconstruction of the road section from the Turkish border-Margara-Vanadzor-Tashir-Georgia, as well as the Talin-Karakert-Turkish border road. “In fact, at that time, the government allocated more than 2 billion drams for the reconstruction of the road to the closed border,” he added.