Simonyan: Azerbaijan is obstructing the Armenia-Turkey normalization  process

ArmInfo. Azerbaijan is currently hindering the Armenia- Turkey normalization process through its lobbying and influence. Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan stated this in Istanbul during a meeting with representatives of the Armenian press, according to the diaspora newspaper Agos.

Simonyan noted that this visit to Istanbul is another sign of the  normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations, adding that there are  currently no urgent issues between Yerevan and Ankara. "We are  waiting for the opening of the land border. This has been promised  many times. The opening has been delayed for quite a long time, and I  have repeatedly emphasized this in various interviews," the head of  the Armenian legislature said. Touching on statements about Armenia's  possible inclusion in the trilateral Turkey- Azerbaijan-Georgia  format, and clarifying whether this is only at the parliamentary  level or also at the executive level, Simonyan said that about a year  and a half to two years ago, he wrote letters to the Speakers of the  National Assemblies of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey.

"I personally met with the Speakers of Georgia and Azerbaijan,  informing them of the letter and awaiting a response. A year and a  half later, I received a pleasant surprise: the speaker of the  Turkish Grand National Assembly, Numan Kurtulmus, announced that he  had initiated a similar effort. However, this remains at the level of  an interparliamentary congress for now; I believe we have no  authority to interfere in the executive branch," the Armenian  legislator said.

According to him, this is an interim step taken due to the lengthy  delay in the decision regarding the opening of the border. He added  that Armenia cannot be isolated from the region. "We must be prepared  to discuss our problems and issues directly with our neighbors. I  would say that Azerbaijan is currently obstructing this process using  its lobbying and influence. Because, on the one hand, it is  negotiating with us, but on the other, it is not allowing Turkey to  negotiate with us. This is a strange situation. Turkey seems to be a  prisoner of these relationships," Simonyan said.

When asked why the border with Turkey is not opening, the head of the  Armenian parliament replied that he did not know. "Initially, they  said the border would not open until the Nagorno-Karabakh issue was  resolved. Then they announced that the Karabakh issue had been  resolved. After that, they brought up the topic of a peace agreement  between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We negotiated this agreement; it was  a complex and lengthy process, but we agreed on 17 points, met to  sign, shook hands, and still it didn't work out," he said. Simonyan  added that there are many issues between Azerbaijan and Armenia that  need to be resolved, and among Armenia's priorities is "the exchange  of information about the 19 Karabakh residents still in custody  there, as well as about Armenian casualties."

"I believe that in the near future we will see the opening of the  border and the establishment of diplomatic relations. Everything has  been done on both sides. When I speak with my Turkish colleagues, I  understand that they don't have much to say either; there are no  disagreements. I repeat, this is the result of lobbying.  Turkey is a  prisoner of this influence," he said.

The launch of the normalization process between Armenia and Turkey  was announced on December 13, 2021, by then-Turkish Foreign Minister  Mevlut Cavusoglu. He also emphasized that Ankara would act in  coordination with Azerbaijan regarding steps to normalize relations  with Armenia. The parties appointed special representatives of Turkey  and Armenia for the normalization process - Serdar K?l?c and Ruben  Rubinyan - who have already held several rounds of negotiations, but  have not yet achieved any breakthroughs, other than the launch of air  cargo and passenger services.