Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke about the Armenia-Turkey contacts and the stabilization of the situation in the region, saying that now the course is positive. However, he said, it is impossible to normalize everything at once in one day.
He said that mutual steps must be taken.
In an interview with Ahaber media outlet, Cavusoglu also spoke about Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan’s visit to Antalya.
“What did we do? On top of the positive signals after the elections in Armenia we appointed special representatives. They’ve met twice in person, but they also have phone talks all the time, but we didn’t limit ourselves with the appointment of the special representatives, we made steps for increasing trust. For example, we launched flights, on the other hand some steps are being taken regarding trade,” Cavusoglu said.
Cavusoglu said that when the borders will be opened there are works in both sides that need to be done regarding roads and railway.
The Turkish FM said his meeting with Armenian FM Ararat Mirzoyan in Antalya was positive. He added that he’d wanted a trilateral meeting to take place with participation of Azerbaijan’s FM Jeyhun Bayramov, but it was not possible.
Cavusoglu once again said that Turkey holds consultations with Azerbaijan regarding the process of normalization with Armenia. The Turkish FM said that it is not possible to make any fundamental step without consulting with Azerbaijan. “The war is over, lessons must be drawn from it, and steps must be taken for the stability of South Caucasus, our region. If Armenia has this same perception, both us and Azerbaijan will normalize relations with Armenia, borders will be opened, trade will start, and on the other hand regional development, logistical matters and so on,” Cavusoglu said.