The private meeting of the foreign ministers of Armenia and Turkey took place in Ankara, after which a meeting in an expanded format was held, followed by a joint press conference of the ministers, during which the foreign ministers made statements.
During the press conference, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan noted in his speech: “Dear Mr. Cavusoglu, dear attendees, first of all, on behalf of the Republic of Armenia, I once again express my condolences to the families of the thousands of people who fell victim to the devastating earthquake, to the people and government of Turkey, and I wish a speedy recovery to all.
One of the bitterest pages in the history of my people was the devastating earthquake of 1988 in Spitak, and today the grief that has visited thousands of families in Turkey is not foreign to us. Such natural disasters and their scale go beyond the borders of states, becoming universal tragedies. To overcome them, the world must act with a united front. I believe that the international community should not remain indifferent in the case of any humanitarian crisis anywhere on the planet. And it was precisely on this principle that the Armenian government decided, immediately after the disastrous earthquake, to send rescuers and humanitarian aid to Turkey.
I thank Mr. Cavusoglu for the words of appreciation expressed regarding our rescuers and, in general, the Armenian presence and support. I am very glad that the Armenian rescuers, with the support of their colleagues, have managed to do the most important thing in this situation: save human lives.
I also consider it symbolic that on Saturday, the Armenian-Turkish border, closed for about 30 years, was opened for Armenian trucks loaded with humanitarian aid heading to Adiyaman. The same happened yesterday evening, and in a few hours the next batch of humanitarian aid will arrive in Adiyaman.
Being in Turkey at this difficult time, I once again wish to reaffirm Armenia’s readiness and aspiration to build peace in the region and, in particular, to fully normalise relations with Turkey, establish diplomatic relations and fully open the border between Armenia and Turkey.
I want to inform you that today we have discussed certain details related to this process; we have an agreement to jointly renovate the Ani bridge, as well as to take care of the relevant infrastructure in anticipation of the full opening of the border.”
