Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said his country sees that Türkiye is advocating for stability in the South Caucasus.
"Our perception is that Türkiye, at least the messages it gives are in this direction, advocates for stability in the South Caucasus. We see that Türkiye, both at the presidential and foreign ministers levels, supports the signing of a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan," Pashinyan told Turkish media outlets in Yerevan, his country's capital.
Armenia's prime minister said representatives of Türkiye and his country are in constant contact, noting the presence of a "very direct conversation" between the two countries.
"Today, there is a very direct dialogue, a very direct conversation between Armenia and Türkiye, and if we consider the previous period of our relations, this is a very important change. Diplomatic representatives of Armenia and Türkiye are in constant direct contact," he said.
Saying that he wants diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Armenia to be established, Pashinyan noted the already large volume of trade and business contacts between both countries.
Pashinyan said that while the results of a July 2022 agreement on opening the land border between the two countries for third country citizens are seen as not making any tangible progress in bilateral relations, now the two parties better understand the difficulties and different outlooks at the current stage, and see this as a gain.
He said that, over the course of this period, he and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had several meetings, and that their foreign ministers also established contact and continue to be in contact.
Pashinyan added that efforts along these lines should be made to continue the current dynamic in Turkish-Armenian relations, highlighting that this is a dynamic process.
He said he believes it is only "a matter of time" before the two countries normalize their ties, adding: "We must proceed with patience in this process."
Asked about Armenia's ties with the EU, Pashinyan said that their relations have developed and deepened in recent years, which he said does not contradict Yerevan's ties with other partners.
"We want the Republic of Armenia to get rid of a foreign policy without alternatives. I want to say this directly: We want the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian people to have options," he said.
