Armenia ready for normalization of ties, President Sargsyan says

Yerevan is prepared to normalize its relations with Ankara without any preconditions, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has said ahead of April 24, "Genocide Remembrance Day" for Armenians.

"I declare that we are ready for the normalization of relations with Turkey, for starting a process of rapprochement between the Armenian and Turkish nations without any preconditions," Sargsyan told daily Hürriyet, noting that Armenia was willing to normalize ties even as it mourned the 100th anniversary of the mass killing of Ottoman Armenians.

Opening the border between Turkey and Armenia would create an atmosphere of trust, benefit business and help develop Turkey's eastern provinces, the president said.

"Opening the border will also make contacts between our civil societies more active, making them more informed about each other's approaches and perceptions, which, I believe, will also have a positive impact on the two nations' rapprochement," he said.

Sargsyan also said the window of opportunity was missed because of "the unconstructive Turkish policies."

Here is the full text of the interview:

As a politician who has invested great efforts into the process of reconciliation between your country and Turkey, what scenario would you dream of having on April 24 Remembrance Day this year?

I believe one such option would be giving tribute to the innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide jointly with the Turkish president on the hill of Tsitsernakaberd, and proclaiming from the memorial to the whole world that we join our efforts in condemning the crimes of genocide of the past, thus preventing the possible recurrence of genocide and other crimes against humanity.

This was exactly our aim when we sent an...