Russia is ready to help Armenia and Turkey normalize relations, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday, September 2,
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared recently that Ankara is ready to gradually normalize relations with Yerevan. Erdogan's comments came after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan weighed in on regional peace earlier, maintaining that "public positive signals" are coming from Turkey. Pashinyan said the Armenian side will assess those signals and respond in kind.
Zakharova told a press briefing on Thursday that Moscow took note of the recent “exchange of positive signals” between Yerevan and Ankara. The diplomat recalled Russia’s support for the 2009 protocols on normalizing Turkish-Armenian ties, which, however, were never ratified by Turkey and were ultimately recalled by Armenia's then President Serzh Sargsyan.
“Now too we are ready to assist in a rapprochement between the two neighboring countries based on mutual respect and consideration of each other’s interests,” she said.
Zakharova said the possible normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, an improvement in ties between Yerevan and Ankara would work for peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
