“To tell the truth, some wounds [in Armenia-Azerbaijan relations] are still very fresh”, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said in an interview with Turkish media. “And it's not easy. The issues are very sensitive for both societies, I believe, not only for Armenian society. I probably shouldn't express an opinion on Azerbaijani society or its public opinion. I mean, that would need a little bit more study or information, but I can say for sure that in Armenian society, there is support for the peace agenda, as I said. There is support for this normalization process, despite the fact that the wounds are still very fresh”, he went on saying.
“But also, we should deliver – this is the main issue – we should fulfill the expectations. Otherwise, again, the moods can change. I cannot see a huge difference regarding the perception of normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations and Armenian-Turkish relations, except the fact that, as I said, in the case of Armenian-Azerbaijani topic, the wounds are very fresh. There are still humanitarian issues that are not addressed so far. But there is readiness in both cases, I believe”, Mirzoyan said.
Journalist (CNN Türk): What I'm going to ask is, you said the wounds are very fresh. But last month, Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan made remarks to Turkish journals that were widely interpreted as signaling a new chapter in relations between the two countries. Pashinyan said, that your official position is that international recognition of the Armenian Genocide is not currently among your foreign policy priorities. So do you believe this issue won't be a source of tension between Türkiye and Armenia? Can it finally be resolved?
Ararat Mirzoyan: The Prime Minister said that. Moreover, I myself said that in the Parliament. But, you know, history is history, memory is memory. It could be very hard to forget the ancestors and forget the history. But one thing is paying tribute to the past, to history. And a completely different thing is living in history. It is very easy to remain in the past.
Most probably, moving forward needs a little bit more courage, a little bit more understanding, and a little bit more focus and belief in the future. So we prefer the future. We jointly should do that. You know, I cannot do it alone. My Turkish counterpart cannot do it alone. No one can do it alone. But together, we can remember history, but we can move forward and build a better future. Time and again, I'm not getting tired of repeating this sentence today: it's a matter of choice, what are we choosing?
