Ruben Rubinyan, the candidate for Speaker of Parliament and former special envoy of Armenia for normalizing relations with Turkey, stated at the National Assembly session on August 2 that the Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiation process has advanced further than the Armenian-Turkish one.

According to him, practical results have already been achieved in the Armenian-Azerbaijani process. "For example, the Azerbaijani side lifted restrictions on rail transit from Armenia earlier than Turkey did. In addition, direct trade already exists between Armenia and Azerbaijan, particularly in petroleum products," Rubinyan noted.

He said the time has come for the Turkish side to intensify the process of normalizing relations with Armenia. "I see no reason why Armenia and Turkey could not establish diplomatic relations and open the border as early as tomorrow," the future parliament speaker emphasized.

He acknowledged that the process is moving more slowly than had been expected, but expressed confidence: "The normalization of relations is close and is only a matter of time."