Pashinyan, Erdogan Hold Telephone Conversation
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a telephone conversation with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey on Tuesday.
An official readout from Pashinyan’s office said the two leaders reaffirmed their will “to fully normalize relations between Armenia and Turkey without preconditions.” Erdogan’s office did not issue a statement on the phone call.
Regarding the normalization of relations, “the leaders noted the importance of the continuation of meetings between the Special representatives of both countries and reconfirmed the agreements reached so far,” Pashinyan’s office said in a statement.
Turkey and Armenia decided in 2022 to open the land border between the two countries for travel by citizens of third countries and those holding diplomatic passports. Easing of air cargo trade was also part of the agreement, as were weekly flights between Turkey and Armenia.
Despite emphasizing that the normalization process is being advanced “without preconditions,” Turkish officials, including Erdogan, have preconditioned the process on a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan that includes a so-called land “corridor” through Armenia to Nakhichevan. This scheme is being advanced by Baku and has thus far been opposed by Yerevan.
“The leaders also noted with satisfaction the ongoing dialogue between high level officials of Armenia and Turkey. They also discussed recent developments in the region and international agenda,” added the statement from Pashinyan’s office.
In some of his recent remarks, Pashinyan has been criticized for altering history and going as far as whitewashing his remarks about the Armenian Genocide.
In his statement on April 24 this year, Pashinyan did not call for the international recognition the Armenian Genocide and referred to the events of 1915 as “Medz Yeghern,” a departure from his and other administrations’ statement on this national day of remembrance. He also called on Armenians to “overcome the trauma” caused by the genocide.
Pashinyan’s April 24 statement was met with broad condemnation, especially from human rights and academic circles. The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention issued a strongly-worded statement characterizing Pashinyan’s statement as state-sponsored genocide denial.
