ArmInfo.The results of the recent war in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone force Armenia to show the most pragmatic and flexible approach to its own foreign policy agenda. This was stated by Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazyan at an extraordinary meeting of the Foreign Relations Commission of the Armenian Parliament.
At the same time, he expressed the conviction that the priority task of Armenia today should be the security agenda, the formation of a favorable environment around itself. "We, today, in the context of a pandemic, have restrictions related to travel. But, nevertheless, a number of visits took place during this period. We are actively engaged in a dialogue with various partners and on various platforms in video conference formats, " the Armenian Foreign Minister said, adding that Yerevan interacts with partners in various formats, including in the Armenia-Cyprus-Greece trilateral format.
At the same time, he recalled that Armenia knows firsthand the value of peace and is not looking for enemies. "We will do everything to create a truly stable security zone around Armenia," Ayvazyan said. Speaking about allied cooperation, the Minister noted that when establishing allied relations, it is necessary first of all to be guided by the need for a common understanding of the challenges and situations that may be dictated by a particular circumstance.
Ayvazyan also believes that there should be no enthusiasm when forming relations with a particular state. "And if we see that a threat to our security comes from some country, we must understand that we have not finalized something, we have missed something," the chief diplomat of Armenia said.
At the same time, when asked to assess the veiled statements made by various people in Armenia these days about the need to review relations, including with Turkey, against the background of the changed regional realities, Ayvazyan noted that he is familiar with them and recalled that about Changes in the foreign policy in the republic are reported either by the Prime Minister or the RA Foreign Ministry.
"As for your question directly, I would like to repeat once again that the Armenian people survived the first genocide of the 20th century and are best aware of the value of peace. We're not looking for enemies. From the first days of the declaration of its independence until recently, Armenia has made various proposals to normalize relations with Turkey. The last of these was the Zurich process, which was failed by Turkey, " he said, pointing to the importance of reciprocity, especially in relations between states.
Ayvazyan recalled that the Armenian good initiative to normalize relations without preconditions did not receive a proper response from the official Ankara. "Moreover, the intolerance shown in the last century, which culminated in the genocide of the Armenian people, seems to be being transported to our region today. Naturally, we are well aware of the prospects that peace can create, and eventually reconciliation, but these are not just beautiful words. And in order for peace to really be established in the region, we expect that Turkey will seriously reconsider its hateful policy and eliminate enmity towards the Republic of Armenia, " the Armenian Foreign Minister said, recalling that there have been many cases of reconciliation of states that have been at enmity for many years.
He expressed the hope that Turkey will sooner or later come to the realization of this need. "I am not inclined to believe that Turkey will never change its Armenian - Phobic position," Ayvazyan said. When asked whether there are any contacts between Armenia and Turkey, the minister said that he is not aware of any interaction between Yerevan and the official Ankara-whether it is consultations, contacts or other format of relations.