ArmInfo. Recognition of the genocide has never been a precondition for the normalization of relations with Turkey. Eduard Aghajanyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Armenian Parliament on Foreign Relations, stated this during a press conference on January 27.
In particular, he stressed that throughout the history of independent Armenia, the country's authorities have advocated the settlement of Armenian-Turkish relations without preconditions. At the request of journalists, commenting on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's statement that the Diaspora has always been the driving force in the process of recognizing the Armenian Genocide, Aghajanyan stressed that the latter's role was more effective than Armenia's role as a state. "The issue is not that the whole process and its results have been attributed to the potential and activity of the Diaspora," he said. When asked whether Armenian Special Representative for Normalization of Relations with Turkey Ruben Rubinyan and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan accepted the invitation of the Turkish side to take part in the diplomatic forum to be held in Antalya, Aghajanyan said that there is no final decision on this issue yet.
During the live broadcast, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted that Armenia has never questioned the Armenian-Turkish border. "You will not find a single Armenian leader or government that will question the Armenian-Turkish border and we will continue this policy," he said. The head of government also stressed that the position on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide is expressed in the government's program. "Nevertheless, we must state that the Diaspora and its organizations have always been the driving force of the process of recognizing the Armenian Genocide," he added.