We Must Build Good Relations with Turkey - Kocharian

The small country can be in a complementary political stance, but it cannot 'fall into a split.' This was stated by Armenia's second president Robert Kocharian during a meeting with reporters.

According to Kocharian, Armenia cannot ensure its own security alone in this region, unlike Estonia, which Prime Minister Pashinyan recently visited and admired. He noted that Estonia borders both Russia and Europe and has managed to secure its own safety independently.

'Meanwhile, in our country's case, you have to be more organized internally, focus on your army, and establish relations with potential geopolitical partners that would compensate for the gap you have. I do not see that this government is doing anything in that direction,' Kocharian said.

He also emphasized that thinking Europe could resolve any security issues in Armenia is naive and childish, considering who our neighbors are in the region. 'Macron may embrace our Prime Minister; he likes to embrace, and that will be the end of it. Now there are three countries that can play a role in our region: Russia, Turkey, and Iran. Now which country is closer to us spiritually, with which country are our economic ties stronger, and which of these three is more powerful in potential and culturally closer to us? There is no alternative; it is Russia,' Kocharian stated.

According to him, for our security, we need to move forward with clear strategic relationships, just as was done from the time of Armenia's first president to the third president, rather than 'splitly.'

'We must not forget that the threat from Turkey remains. Its goal is clear: we are a foreign body in a larger political picture that Turkey is clearly pursuing today. Now this is their national interest, and we cannot blame them for it. We must understand who can deter Turkey in this region. I believe it is Russia, which is the strongest in potential,' Kocharian added.

He believes we should try to establish good relations with Turkey but without being subjected to blackmail. The second president also indicated that we should continue relations with Russia, including the factor of Iran, which is a friendly country for us due to our shared interests.