Erdogan States Conditions for Opening Border with Armenia

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has given an interview to the Turkish state media "TRT," during which he also touched upon Armenian-Turkish relations and his recent phone conversation with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

"We had a phone conversation with Prime Minister Pashinyan in the context of the religious celebrations of the two countries, during which we exchanged greetings. Of course, we also talked about the ongoing normalization process between our countries," Erdogan stated.

He emphasized that Azerbaijan has always been a red line for Turkey and that the borders will be opened only after resolving issues concerning Azerbaijan: "From the very beginning, our red line in relations with Armenia has been Azerbaijan. We will open our doors after the Azerbaijani issue is resolved."

The Turkish president also noted, "I was pleased to hear that Prime Minister Pashinyan shares similar thoughts with us regarding regional peace and cooperation. However, we now expect specific steps to be taken beyond just words."

According to him, Turkey is serious and determined in the process of normalizing relations with Armenia and aims for a comprehensive settlement and establishment of friendly relations.

Erdogan reminded that there are over 100,000 Armenians in Turkey, referring to them as both citizens and potential candidates for citizenship: "Currently, there are more than 100,000 Armenians in Turkey, including our citizens and non-citizens, but they are candidates for citizenship. This reflects our approach."

In conclusion, the Turkish president once again reminded that Ankara coordinates its actions with Baku.