Armenian Prime Minister meets with leaders of Turkey, Germany and Greece in Prague

YEREVAN, October 7, /ARKA/. The leaders of Turkey and Armenia on Thursday held their first face-to-face meeting since the two countries agreed to improve relations.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Prague on the sidelines of the European Political Community Summit. The two leaders emphasized direct contacts and high-level meetings in the context of Armenia-Turkey rapprochement, the Armenian government reported.

It said Nikol Pashinyan and Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the process of normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations and possible further steps in that direction.

The need for the speedy implementation of the agreements reached as a result of the discussions of the special representatives of the two countries was emphasized.

In particular, it refers to the opening of the land border for citizens of third countries, the implementation of direct air cargo transportation between Armenia and Turkey. The sides exchanged thoughts on regional processes.

‘We believe that Turkey and Armenia can achieve full normalization of relations based on the principle of good neighbourliness in the region. At our meeting with [Armenian Prime Minister Nikola] Pashinyan we discussed some of the requirements. Turkey will not set any preconditions for normalizing relations with Armenia. Once Armenia concludes a peace agreement with Azerbaijan, it will have no problems with us," Erdoğan said at a press conference following the European Political Community summit in Prague.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had also a brief meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Prague. The interlocutors referred to issues related to the development of Armenian-German relations.

Pashinyan presented details about the processes taking place in the South Caucasus, referred to the consequences of the Azerbaijani aggression against the sovereign territory of Armenia. Nikol Pashinyan attached importance to the adequate response of the international community.

In the context of preventing new aggressions, the Prime Minister emphasized the importance of introducing international mechanisms for monitoring and controlling the border situation.

The meeting of the Prime Ministers of Armenia and Greece, Nikol Pashinyan and Kyriakos Mitsotakis, took place within the framework of the European Political Community Summit held in Prague.

At the meeting, the interlocutors discussed a number of issues on the agenda of relations between Armenia and Greece.

The sides referred to the consequences of the aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against the sovereign territory of Armenia. Nikol Pashinyan highlighted the international community's, including Greece's, direct response to Azerbaijan's actions and demands to eliminate the consequences of the aggression.

Prime Minister Pashinyan and Kyriakos Mitsotakis emphasized the need for close bilateral cooperation in overcoming challenges. Armenia-Greece-Cyprus trilateral cooperation was also highlighted. -0-