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Turkey, Armenia to appoint special envoys for normalizing relations — Turkish top diplomat

According to the Turkish top diplomat, each step in this direction will be taken jointly with Azerbaijan

ANKARA, December 13. /TASS/. Turkey and Armenia may appoint special envoys for the normalization of bilateral relations, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday.

"We with Armenia will soon appoint special envoys to take steps toward the normalization [of bilateral relations]. We will also open chartered flights with the Armenian capital city Yerevan," Turkey’s NTV channel quoted him as saying.

According to the Turkish top diplomat, each step in this direction will be taken jointly with Azerbaijan.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said back in September that Moscow was ready to continue its efforts to help Ankara and Yerevan improve their relations and saw positive signals from the sides. According to Zakharova, normalizing relations between these countries would promote peace, stability and prosperity in the region, especially on the backdrop of the "normalization of Azerbaijani-Armenian relations in the context of the implementation of the statements signed by the Russian, Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders on November 9, 2020 and January 11, 2021."

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.

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