Armenia must demonstrate its sincerity in the process of normalizing relations with Turkey, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party, CNN Turk reported.
"At a meeting with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, I openly stated Turkey's position in the process of normalizing relations with Armenia and the ratification of the Armenia-Turkish protocols. At the same time, we want to see a sincere attitude from Armenia," Erdogan said, referring to the last meeting with Sargsyan in Washington.
Turkey is not a country that will "run away from negotiation table," he said.
"We do not avoid negotiations. On the contrary, we can hold them simultaneously with Arab countries, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the Balkan countries. Everything is done to establish stability and peace in the region. Turkey strives for peace in the Middle East and is ready to normalize relations with Armenia," Erdogan said.
Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers Ahmet Davutoglu and Edward Nalbandian signed the Ankara-Yerevan protocols in Zurich Oct. 10.
Diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey have been broken due to Armenia's claims of an alleged genocide, and its occupation of Azerbaijani lands. The border between them has been broken since 1993.
According to Erdogan, during his meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington last week, he took the opportunity to express Turkey's position on normalizing relations with Yerevan, as well as the country's dissatisfaction with the adoption of a resolution on the so-called "Armenian Genocide" by the U.S. Congress Committee on Foreign Relations.
Erdogan said Turkey's position in the normalization of relations with Armenia is clear, and Ankara will take further steps on this basis.
"The reason for closing our borders in 1993 was the occupation of Azerbaijani lands. As long as the occupation persists, we will not open our borders," Erdogan said Sunday to the Turkish ATV channel.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the United States - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the occupied territories.
