Former member of the Turkish Parliament and representative of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Karo Paylan, discussed Armenian-Turkish normalization and Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations, stressing the significance of newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump’s role.
According to Paylan, if Trump can be persuaded, he will, in turn, be able to convince the leaders of Turkey and Azerbaijan, as reported by Factor.am .
"If we can convince Trump, he will be able to persuade Erdogan and Aliyev. Erdogan—to open the Armenian-Turkish border and normalize relations, and Aliyev—to open transport routes, which would benefit him as well. If he refuses, sanctions could be imposed," Paylan stated.
In his view, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is reluctant to sign a peace agreement because he believes Armenia stands to gain more from it.
According to Paylan, Trump is fond of wealthy individuals, and since there are many affluent Armenians in the U.S., "they can approach Trump and urge him to facilitate the establishment of peace."
He also mentioned that Turkey could sell wheat to Armenia if Russia imposes sanctions on Yerevan.
"We can purchase 40% of it from Turkey," he said, adding that Armenia should also reduce its dependence on Russia for gas.
"This situation needs to change slightly. If this agreement is signed, we can buy 40% of our gas from Azerbaijan, 30% from Iran, and 40% from Russia. The same applies to wheat," he explained.
