Armenian PM sits down with Turkish media for in-depth interview

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has recently given an interview to Turkish journalists. 

Pashinyan shared a brief video clip about the interview on his official Facebook page, offering a glimpse into the discussion, Caliber.Az reports via Armenian media.

The details of the interview have yet to be fully disclosed, but the prime minister's decision to engage with Turkish media marks a significant moment in the ongoing dialogue between Armenia and Türkiye.

Despite Türkiye's repeated statements that it would open its border with Armenia on the condition of normalising the Armenia-Azerbaijan relations, Yerevan still harbours illusions that this issue can be resolved outside the framework of a peace agreement with Baku. This was once again confirmed by the recent statements of President of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan. 

"The Republic of Armenia reaffirms its commitment to promoting regional peace and stability and hopes that the ongoing negotiations with Türkiye on the opening of the border will yield results," Simonyan said.

The optimistic statements from the Armenian speaker came after the recent meeting of Armenian and Turkish delegations, which took place during the winter session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Vienna on February 20. According to Armenian media, the discussions focused on issues related to normalising relations between the two countries, as well as the importance of unblocking roads and other regional infrastructure. 

Clearly, for Armenia, the opening of the border with Türkiye is primarily beneficial from a trade and economic standpoint, especially considering that Yerevan has yet to decide on the exact model of its future economic development. Despite constant attention to the West, Armenia has not made the decision to leave the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) yet, and the restoration of land routes with Türkiye could significantly increase the volume of export products to and from Armenia. 

By Naila Huseynova