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Armenia, Turkey agree to go ahead with normalization without preconditions

Special representatives had a frank and productive exchange of opinions

YEREVAN, May 3. /TASS/. Special representatives from Armenia and Turkey in Vienna agreed to go ahead with the process of normalization of bilateral relations without preconditions, Armenia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"The special representatives confirmed the purpose of achieving full-scale normalization of relations between their countries. They had a frank and productive exchange of opinions. Possible steps were discussed that might be taken along these lines for achieving tangible progress. They confirmed their intention to continue this process without preconditions," the news release reads.

Armenia and Turkey share a common border but have no diplomatic relations. In 2009, the two countries’ foreign ministers signed protocols on the establishment of diplomatic relations and the principles of relations, but these documents were not ratified. On March 1, 2018 Armenia annulled both protocols. In 2021, Armenia and Turkey appointed their special envoys for settlement issues. Turkey’s former ambassador to the United States Serdar Kilic represents Ankara, and Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Ruben Rubinyan, Yerevan.

The envoys held their first meeting in Moscow on January 14 and the second one, in Vienna on February 24. Yerevan has made a positive comment on progress in the negotiations, adding that opening the border with Turkey was one of Armenia’s priorities.

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