YEREVAN. May 10 (Interfax) - Armenia is ready for normalization of relations with Turkey without preconditions, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said.
"During the process of normalizing relations, Turkey set preconditions resulting from its relations with a third party. We said we are ready for normalization of relations without any preconditions," Pashinyan said at a press conference with Stepanakert.
On March 1, Armenia officially declared the Armenian-Turkish protocols on the establishment of diplomatic relations and on the development of relations null and void. The Armenian National Security Council headed by President Serzh Sargsyan adopted a relevant decision at a meeting.
"When I launched the process of normalizing relations without any preconditions, I was guided by the idea of building a safe and peaceful region. Armenia has made all possible effort not to shift this burden onto the next generations. However, for nine years after the signing of protocols Ankara, returning to its unsubstantiated preconditions, has not only failed to take any step to ratify the protocols, but also left no doubts that it is not going to carry out this process," Sargsyan said then.
"I reiterate that in relations with various countries we are not putting forth any preconditions, and anyone's practice of putting forward any preconditions will just not work for us. We are a small country, do not possess either a strong military or economic capacity, but we are an independent country and will act only in the interests of our country and people," Sargsyan said.
"Considering our agreement on the matter I will sign a decree suspending the procedure of signing these protocols immediately after this meeting. I am asking the foreign minister to notify Turkey about this decision after which not a single obligation in the framework of these agreements will have any legal significance for us," then-president said.