Russia says Turkey, Armenia should improve relations

The end of the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region paves the way for improvement in Turkish-Armenian relations, Russia's foreign minister said on Sept. 3.

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Speaking at the New Knowledge Forum in Moscow, Sergey Lavrov said Ankara and Yerevan should resume efforts towards normalization after Armenia and neighboring Azerbaijan signed an agreement on Nagorno-Karabakh last year.

"The parties saw the process of resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh issue differently. But now, when the war in Nagorno-Karabakh is over, there are grounds for unblocking the political process, transport, and economic ties, it would be logical if Armenia and Turkey resumed efforts to normalize relations," the minister said.

Russia is ready to actively support this process, he added.

On Sept. 2 Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also said Russia always supported the normalization of Armenian-Turkish ties and has in the past participated in mediation efforts towards this end.

She noted that Russia welcomed the signing of the Zurich Protocols in 2009, which suggested a gradual improvement in relations between Armenia and Turkey without preliminary conditions.

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"Along with the normalization of Azerbaijani-Armenian relations in the context of the implementation of the statements signed by the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia on November 9, 2020, and January 11 this year, this (normalization between Armenia and Turkey) would work for peace, stability, and prosperity in the region," she said.

Relations between the former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory internationally...