A Turkish journalist asked Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan:
"You have mentioned that in the past, Turkey and Armenia communicated through third-party mediators, but now you are speaking directly, without intermediaries. Do you think that in the future, Turkey and Armenia could cooperate in third countries, particularly while you are waiting for normalization to take place—whether through the opening of the border or the implementation of other agreements as confidence-building measures? Specifically, I would like to ask about Syria. Many Armenians live in Syria, and Turkey has significant influence there. Do you see an opportunity for cooperation with Turkey in this field to ensure that ethnic Armenians in Syria receive appropriate assistance? Or in Lebanon, another country where Turkey has influence? Or could you cooperate on international issues while waiting for bilateral normalization to be formalized in a document?"
The Prime Minister responded:
"You know, we already have very concrete examples of cooperation on the international stage. I think it is evident that, for instance, in the OSCE Secretary General elections, we had a very specific example of collaboration. That is a good precedent, demonstrating that the issue you raise about future cooperation is already a reality today.
Regarding third countries, the key aspect here is that, naturally, we are bound by the sovereignty of those countries, and, of course, there is no question of interfering in their affairs, which I assume is also reflected in your question. However, we are certainly interested in exploring possible cooperation—especially regarding Syria, where, unfortunately, we have recently begun to receive some concerning reports again. There is already some dialogue between Armenia and Turkey on this issue, not an extensive discussion, but still, it exists. Again, I emphasize that we respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and jurisdiction of all countries.
That said, it is evident that we have an Armenian community in Syria, and we are concerned about its fate. Unfortunately, due to the events of recent years, many were forced to leave Syria. However, there is still an Armenian community there, as well as in Lebanon, and we are making efforts to see what can be done to ensure the best possible conditions for our communities in these countries—within the scope of our capabilities. As for working with Turkey on these specific issues related to Syria, we have had discussions and conversations on this topic. If nothing obstructs the process, we will also see concrete forms of cooperation in this direction."
