Indeed, the situation is very complicated, and our main goal is to do everything possible to strengthen the security environment around Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), which isn’t easy because this is an overall reflection of the geopolitical situation. This is what Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ara Aivazian said during today’s question-and-answer session with government officials in parliament, touching upon MP Gor Gevorgyan’s question on Armenia’s strategy and tactics with regard to the current situation.

“As a state, Armenia obviously needs to aspire to make all efforts to de-escalate the situation, and this will help strengthen the security environment,” he emphasized.

Touching upon the February 1-12 Turkish-Azerbaijani military exercises in Kars, the minister said the following:

“Any military exercise is a cause for concern. We see that Turkey is delivering messages. In diplomacy, it is accepted to deliver messages, but taking into consideration the fact that Turkey is the one delivering messages, I believe the time has come for Armenia to be guided by actions, not messages. I’m certain that Turkey will gradually return to normalcy under the pressure of the international community, and this first and foremost means that there is no reason for Turkey to keep Armenia in a blockade anymore. As you know, the closure of the borders was conditioned by the status-quo in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) which changed through the use of force, and now Turkey has no reason to keep the border with Armenia closed,” the minister stated.

Gevorgyan responded by saying that Armenia might face another problem after the de-blockage of borders since the country is dealing with Turkey. The deputy was expecting a different answer from the minister, but the minister said there is no problem in this regard. The MP countered by saying that the military exercises that the neighboring countries are holding with the rhetoric of hostility pose a direct threat.