YEREVAN, May 3. /TASS/. The fact that Turkey has closed its airspace for flights operated by Armenian air carriers to third countries is a problem to Armenia, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Wednesday at the Government Hour session in the parliament.

"Yes, there is a problem, Well, excuse me, whose is this problem? It is our problem. Those who close our roads have no problems at all," he said in response to a question from an opposition lawmaker.

Commenting on the Turkish statement that its airspace had been closed after the Nemesis monument had been unveiled in Yerevan to commemorate an act of vengeance by Armenians against Turkish high-ranking officials in the early 20th century, Pashinyan said that the decision had been taken to avoid being "considered traitors."

"When the issue of Nemesis memorial was brought up, everyone thought that if we did not agree, we would be called traitors. However, let’s think how much good and how much harm this memorial has done to our state," he said.

On Saturday evening, Flyone Armenia announced that without prior notice, the Turkish aviation authorities had canceled its permit to operate flights to Europe through the Turkish airspace. This decision forced the Armenian air carrier to land the Paris-Yerevan flight at Chisinau’s airport.

Armenia and Turkey have no diplomatic relations. In 2009, the two countries’ foreign ministers signed protocols on the establishment of diplomatic ties and on principles of bilateral relations in Zurich, but the agreements were not ratified by the parties. On March 1, 2018, Armenia announced that the protocols had been annulled. In 2021, Armenia and Turkey appointed special envoys to regulate relations. The two countries are currently working to normalize relations.