Whether a representative from Armenia will take part in a diplomatic forum in Antalya, Turkey next month will depend on the outcome of the next round of talks on the normalization of ties between Yerevan and Ankara, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan told parliament on Wednesday.
Special envoys from Turkey and Armenia are scheduled to meet in Vienna on February 24 for a second round of talks on normalizing relations between the two countries. Last month, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said he had invited Armenia to take part in an international summit in Antalya. In later remarks, he left the impression that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had agreed to attend the summit.
What complicated the matter was Pashinyan’s own statements during a virtual press briefing late last month, that seemed to contradict the position of his own foreign ministry.
Mirzoyan on Wednesday said that Pashinyan’s attendance at the Antalya summit “has not been discussed and is not being discussed,” adding that the confusion and speculation was created because of “wrong translation.”
He claimed that Cavusoglu’s statement that “he” will attend the summit has been misinterpreted.
He added that Yerevan’s participation in the Antalya summit will depend on the outcome of talks scheduled on Feb. 24 between Armenia’s special envoy Ruben Rubinyan and his Turkish counterpart Serdar Kilic.
“I hope that this time substantive discussions will begin between the two special representatives, discussions aimed at opening the Armenia-Turkey border and establishing diplomatic relations,” Mirzoyan said, adding that the signals and messages from Ankara mostly have been positive.
Mirzoyan was asked by opposition Armenia Alliance lawmaker Artsvik Minasyan whether the government was continuing to pursue the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the elimination of its consequences as ingrained in Armenia’s National Security strategy.
Mirzoyan said that Armenia’s government continues to consistently implement all the steps mentioned in the Government’s Action Plan, which has been approved by this parliament.
“It is clearly stated there that Armenia will continue its efforts aimed at both the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the prevention of further manifestations of this crime against humanity,” Mirzoyan said.