U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Marie Yovanovitch believes the reopening of the Armenian-Turkish border is the only way to Armenia’s economic prosperity.

According to her, an open border will give the country access not only to Turkey’s market, but also to Europe, which, I turn, will ensure its political and economic independence.

The normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations will afford an opportunity for implementing regional projects, which will promote regional economic progress, Ambassador Yovanovitch stated at the American University of Armenia.

According to her, the Armenians have a stereotype idea of the Turks. A similar situation has developed in Turkey. The two peoples have to change their opinions of each other by means of communication, Yovanovitch.

Speaking of the present stage of normalization process, the Ambassador pointed out a problem: the process was not as rapid as it had been expected several months before. However, such a possibility was ruled out two years ago, Yovanovitch said. She restated the U.S. official position: no preconditions must be set to Armenian-Turkish.

Responding to NEWS.am’s question about the United State’s interest in the reopening of the Armenian-Turkish border, Yovanovitch pointed out that the U.S. wants to see Armenia as a reliable, democratic, economically developed partner, which is possible due to democratic reforms and improved relations with neighbors.

As regards the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, Ambassador Yovanovitch pointed out the OSCE Minsk Group’s efforts. She stressed that the conflict can be settled on the following three principles: people’s right to self-determination, nonuse of force and territorial integrity. According to her, the status quo is a destabilizing factor in the region.

Ambassador Yovanovitch also reminded the attendees of a joint statement the three Presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group member-states made at the G8 Summit in Aquila, Italy, on July 10, 2009. She cited the points of the Madrid Principles: return of the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan and security and self-government guarantees; a corridor between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh; determining Nagorno-Karabakh’s final status based of legally binding will.