Stop Singing About Turning Istanbul into a Sea of Blood, Says Kocharyan

All regional powers should be aimed at achieving peace, and Turkey also has a role to play. Andranik Kocharyan, the Chairman of the Permanent Commission on Defense and Security of the National Assembly of Armenia, stated this during a press briefing with journalists in the National Assembly, responding to a question about how Turkey can contribute to the signing of a peace treaty.

Yesterday, following a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, it was mentioned that Armenia desires Turkey's assistance in establishing peace with Azerbaijan.

“Why isn’t Turkey in this region? Isn’t it Azerbaijan’s close ally? Didn’t you feel that during the 44-day war? You all know about Turkey’s role. Or do you think we should keep singing that we will turn Istanbul into a sea of blood? Forget it, we must move towards peace,” Kocharyan said.

He added that he had previously approached the Catholicos of All Armenians, asking him to appeal to Istanbul’s Armenian Patriarch Sahak Mashalian to relay a message to Turkish President Erdoğan to support Armenia regarding the issue of captives in Azerbaijan.

“What result that brought, I cannot say. We have seen some outcomes on that issue, but whether it was helpful or not, I don’t know. I believe all means should be utilized,” Kocharyan concluded.