Armradio.am. Armenian Vice-Speaker of Parliament Ruben Rubinyan, who also serves as Armenia’s special envoy for the normalization of relations with Turkey, reaffirmed on Monday that Yerevan is prepared to open the border and establish diplomatic relations with Ankara “as soon as tomorrow,” if political will exists on the Turkish side.
Rubinyan is scheduled to meet his Turkish counterpart, Serdar Kılıç, in Armenia in the coming days. While he did not disclose the exact date or location of the talks, he stressed that the agenda will cover the entire spectrum of normalization issues.
“The process is about opening the Armenia–Turkey border and establishing diplomatic relations. That is the core of our discussions,” Rubinyan told journalists. He added that the talks will review both the steps already taken and those still underway, such as technical discussions on restoring the Kars–Gyumri railway line and proposals to restore the historic Ani bridge.
Asked whether the Washington agreements and the Washington Declaration signed recently between Armenia and Azerbaijan could serve as an impetus for progress with Turkey, Rubinyan said: “These are very important developments. They will have a positive impact not only on regional processes but also beyond the region. In this sense, we are optimistic that concrete steps will follow.”
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Rubinyan confirmed that the earlier agreement to allow third-country nationals and holders of diplomatic passports to cross the Armenia–Turkey border has not yet been implemented. “Whether it was due to us or not, it still hasn’t been carried out. But we hope it will be realized,” he said.
Responding to repeated questions about Turkey’s hesitation, Rubinyan emphasized that Yerevan has not created any obstacles. “We see no reason for Turkey to delay. From the Armenian side, there is no hesitation. We are ready to have open borders and diplomatic relations immediately,” he said.
Rubinyan dismissed suggestions that Turkey had raised new preconditions in recent rounds of talks. “We have stated many times that the process continues without preconditions. We also have no preconditions. It is possible to achieve great results quickly, and to have an open border and diplomatic relations established very soon,” he underlined.
He also pointed to Armenia’s recent establishment of diplomatic ties with Pakistan as a sign of new openings in Yerevan’s foreign relations, expressing hope for a similar step with Turkey.
Rubinyan concluded that with political will, normalization could be achieved rapidly. “From our side, the political will is definitely there,” he said.