In his interview with Kanal 24 (Turkey) Turkish Premier Recep Erdogan disclosed the details of his meeting with RA Presidents Serzh Sargsyan during the Global Nuclear Security Summit in Washington.

According to 1news.az, Erdogan pointed out that the Armenian President proposed reopening the Armenian-Turkish border without linking the Nagorno-Karabakh problem to the Armenian-Turkish reconciliation process. In his turn, the Turkish Premier asked the Armenian leader about the reason why the border was closed in 1993. “I reminded him that the border was closed because the Azerbaijani territories had been occupied. The protocols will not go to Turkish Parliament until this cause has been done away with,” he said.

The Turkish Premier pointed out that the ratification of the protocols requires a consensus of all the political forces. As regards the possibility of the U.S. recognizing the Armenian Genocide, Erdogan pointed out that he does not “expect any problems in this respect.”

If the Nagorno-Karabakh problem is resolved, the reopening of the Armenian-Turkish border will not encounter any problems. So the OSCE Minsk Group should step up its efforts, he said.

Erdogan pointed out he had discussed the issue with the U.S., French and Russian Presidents during his visit to Paris. However, they have not yet achieved any results over the past 20 years, he said.

The Turkish Premier was critical of official Washington for not having invited Azerbaijan to the Global Nuclear Security Summit.

Erdogan had plainly said to the U.S. administration representatives that meetings with the participation of six states – including the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs — would have been possible if Azerbaijan had been invited to the Summit. But the U.S. officials answered that the Summit organizers considered the fact of nuclear-power stations operating in the states. The Turkish Premier reminded them that the Armenian NPP was actually Russian property. Further, what was the reason for inviting Georgia to the Summit, asked Erdogan. They explained it was a misunderstanding, and the U.S. Secretary of State explained the situation to the Azeri leader over the phone.

T.P.