ArmInfo.Attempts to speak of preconditions are a process that leads to nowhere, Armen Grigoryan, Secretary of the RA Security Council, stated as he commented on the Armenian-Turkish negotiations, with the first meeting of the Armenian and Turkish special envoys held last week.
In response to a question by Azatutyun Radio concerning preconditions (including the so-called Zangezur corridor) for normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations, Mr Grigoryan said:
"We have repeatedly stated that Armenia has never discussed nor will ever discuss a single issue related to the corridor logic. It is the redline for us, and it is common knowledge: Azerbaijan and all the states dealing with Armenia in any way are well aware of it. We have discussed this issue with all our partners and stated our position. And all of them are perfectly aware that no discussions on the issue of corridor can ever take place. And setting preconditions or even speaking of this logic is a process that leads to nowhere.
"Our approach is establishing relations, understanding each other's approaches, because our opposition forces and other politicians very often claim that Turkey has stated something. To understand the context of the statements, we need to sit down at the negotiating table with Turkey and understand their approaches, present ours, and try to normalize relations. We believe we can normalize our relations and if we take up these opportunities, we can, in the long term, normalize the Armenian-Turkish relations," Mr Grigoryan said.
As to the reasons why the meeting took place in Moscow, Russia, he said that the relevant agreement was reached with Turkey's consent as well. The meeting venue was agreed on with the three sides.
"We are open to discussing other options. The next meetings could take place in Yerevan or in Ankara. I think if the normalization process shows positive dynamics, contacts will become more frequent and we will find the way of normalizing our relations," he said.