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Biden’s recognition of genocide may help start dialogue with Ankara, says Yerevan

According to the Armenian top diplomat, Biden’s statement "creates a ground for Turkish society to face the pages of their history"

US President Joe Biden EPA-EFE/Doug Mills/POOL

US President Joe Biden

© EPA-EFE/Doug Mills/POOL

YEREVAN, April 27. /TASS/. Armenia hopes that US President Joe Biden’s statement on the Armenian genocide will help it establish dialogue and normalize relations with Turkey, Armenia’s Acting Foreign Minister Ara Aivazian said on Tuesday.

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"We do hope that this very important statement by the President of the US will pave the way for dialogue and eventually to the normalization of relations [with Turkey]. It will also contribute to the regional peace and stability," he said in an interview with BBC Weekend. The transcript is available on the Armenian foreign ministry’s website.

According to the Armenian top diplomat, Biden’s statement "creates a ground for Turkish society to face the pages of their history." "And also it induces the society to question the tragic pages of their history. I believe it will also create ground for dialogue between two neighboring countries. Abyss was created between two neighboring countries and I believe this will be a very important step for normalization of our relations," he stressed.

In a statement released on Saturday, US President Joe Biden recognized the events in the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century as "the Armenian genocide," despite the fact that his predecessors avoided using the term.

Armenia and Turkey have a common border but have no diplomatic relations. The two countries’ top diplomats inked protocols on establishing diplomatic ties and principles of relations in Zurich in 2009. The documents however have not been ratified by both parties.

Moreover, Armenia announced the annulment of the protocols on March 1, 2018.

Armenia’s authorities repeatedly said that Turkey had backed Azerbaijan during the Nagorno-Karabakh war in the fall of 2020. Yerevan claimed that Ankara had deployed militants from the Middle East to the region.

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United States Armenia Turkey

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