YEREVAN.- President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy said Armenia and Turkey must normalize relations without preconditions put forward by any side.

Van Rompuy, who is on official visit to Armenia, said he is familiar with the history of Armenia-Turkey relations burdened by the past events.

The normalization of relations with Turkey, the common neighbor of Armenia and EU and an EU candidate, can provide stability in the South Caucasus and outside the region, he said addressing the Armenian parliament on Wednesday.

Speaking about internal policy, Van Rompuy presented the international assessments of parliamentary elections, which were rather positive but underlined necessity of future reforms.

EU and Armenia continue their work on bilateral agreements on the association and creation of deep and comprehensive trade area, he added.

In this context relaxation of visa requirements is one of the crucial issues, head of the European Council said, calling on Armenia to follow the path to democracy and strengthe the role of law and democratic institutions.

Photo by Sona Barseghyan