On April 27, Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian gave an interview to the director of Armenpress news agency Hrayr Zoryan.

- Mr. Minister, first of all I would like to thank you for accepting my request for interview. Armenia’s foreign policy has become quite active under your leadership.

- I’m sorry Mr. Zoryan for interrupting you, but I would like to stress that our foreign policy is leaded by the President of the country and I lead the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the main mission of which is to carry out the issues that are brought up by the President of the Republic.

- Being a chairman-in-office in different international organizations you receive numerous guests, pay different visits. One of the famous diplomats said if the foreign minister of a country does not pay visits, that country does not have foreign policy. The geography of your visits is wide; it even includes Turkey, which seems to be a new thing for us.

- I do not think that it is a new thing, because after the independence of Armenia there have always been contacts between Armenia and Turkey for months, various visits of high-ranking officials also have taken place and Armenia has always been seeking the normalization of relations with Turkey without any preconditions.

- How will you assess the current phase of Armenian-Turkish relations, especially when there are some opinions arguing that our relations have never gone so far?

 - I would rather say they have never been so close. The initiative of the President of Armenia to invite the President of Turkey Abdullah Gul to visit Armenia to watch the football match gave a qualitatively new phase to the process of normalization of relations. Very important meetings took place between Armenian and Turkish presidents, as well as an important meeting took place in Davos between Armenian President and Turkish Prime Minister, numerous, approximately ten meetings were held on the level of Foreign Ministers of two countries, and today we came to the statement made on April 22, which registers progress in negotiation process.

- Some think that this statement was a surprise and the others feel themselves deceived.

- But how can one speak about a surprise or deception? As you know, during months the President of the country and the Foreign Minister have mentioned many times that Armenia is seeking establishment of full relations with Turkey and normalization of relations with Turkey without preconditions. And today with that statement we again emphasize that we are going towards the normalization of relations, opening of borders without any preconditions. In this case how one can speak about the deception or innovation.

- You are saying that there are no preconditions, but still different comments and opinions are heard from Turkey, meanwhile in Armenia there are opinions that we are making concessions.

- As you know, there is such an impression that we do not believe ourselves, we have lack of trust in our power, our opportunities, we do not believe that Armenia, really, may register a progress, we always think that if we have reached something positive it means that a bad thing is hidden behind it. In other words, if we have climbed the tree, by all means we must fall on a stone. Or we think that by all means we must be deceived. Who will deceive us? If it is Turkey, first of all Turkey will deceive itself, will deceive international community, the United States, Russia, the EU. Our effort is honest and determined: Armenia seeks the establishment of full relations with Turkey without preconditions. I think that we have an impression that the leadership of Turkey also wishes to go forward and normalize relations between the two countries.

- The statement was publicized on April 22, on the eve of 94th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, which also gave a floor to different comments. How will you comment on it?

- When we talk about normalization of relations without preconditions, we mean that there are no preconditions connected with the settlement of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) conflict and no preconditions on recognition of the genocide. And the normalization of relations does not put under question the fact of the genocide and the President of the country, Foreign Minister have stated that on various occasions. As you know, I hope that when we improve, normalize our relations, not only leadership of our country will put flowers in Tsitsernakaberd but the Turkish leadership will join us. Why we cannot do what Charles de Gaulle and Adenauer did? I am sure that such a day will come and Armenian and Turkish leaderships will make that step. So when it be appropriate to make such step if we reach that day? May be just in April? I think there is some symbol in it. And may be there is a symbol in making the statement on April 22.

- However why on the night of April 22?

- You mean why at night? You know in diplomacy there is neither afternoon, nor night, nor morning, nor evening conceptions. In general, negotiations have their logic, which bring to some asylum, equivalent progress about which public is informed. I remember in France during the process of recognition of genocide, when the law on recognition of the genocide was being adopted in the Senate the discussions were going on in midnight and the decision was made at 04.00 am and no one was surprised and no one asked “why the discussions were made at night and not in the morning?”.

- There is an opinion that Armenia is going to the establishment of relations with Turkey because the events which took place in Georgia last year and the global economic crisis did not leave any other choice for Armenia and it has to find common language with Turkey.

- As you know quite well the initiative of the President of the Republic of Armenia was made months before the events in Ossetia and when Armenia’s economy was registering double-digit development just like during the previous 7-8 years. Thus, it is not so: this decision was made with full sense that we must normalize our relations with Turkey.

- Road map concept caused certain confusion. What is the essence of this document? What points, principles does it have?

- It is a very clear agreement: the road map is a time guide for the steps, which must be undertaken by the sides; so that arrangements to be achieved enter into force and start being implemented, and there are no provisions and principles in that map. Provisions and principles will be in the agreement or agreements which should be signed between two sides.

- How will you comment on international reactions upon the Armenian-Turkish relations?

- As you know, if we were living in Soviet, the USSR days, we would say that all the progressive humanity welcomes Armenia’s steps. But today, we really may say that many countries, the EU, the United States, Russia, Switzerland, which has been a mediator, I think we can say, that all the states not only welcome but also assist the process. May be there is one country which has some small reservations and may be not small ones: it is Azerbaijan. This I think is a wrong approach as normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations may have only positive impact on whole our region and Azerbaijan is part of that region.

- How will you comment on the use of the “Meds Yeghern” phrase by Barack Obama in his address to the Armenian people?

- First of all I would like to say that the statement of Obama is a step forward compared with the statements made by other presidents of the United States. There are very strong points in this statement. President Obama said that he has expressed his approach towards what happened in 1915 for many times and he has not changed his opinion. President Obama used “Meds Yeghern” phrase, we – Armenians – use either “genocide” or “Meds Yeghern” concepts. But of course, all Armenians were waiting that the US President would use the word “genocide”. As we are speaking about the President of the United States, I would also like to point out the important personal assistance that the US President promotes towards the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations.

- During the recent period the negotiation process within the frameworks of the OSCE Minsk Group has activated. Once a month Co-Chairs visit the region: Yerevan, Stepanakert, Baku, they also pay visits separately. Nevertheless there is an impression as if the process stays in the same place. Do you agree with that opinion?

- I agree with the opinion that yes, the Co-Chairs are in Yerevan today as well, the process continues and you know that during months Azerbaijan was refusing to conduct negotiations on the basis of Madrid proposals and principals and was trying to impose the resolution which was adopted by the UN General Assembly with the initiative of Azerbaijan. But you also know that the Co-Chair countries voted against it, none of the EU countries backed the resolution and only 39 of 192 member countries voted for it. During months Azerbaijan was trying to impose this resolution as a basis of negotiations. During months Azerbaijan was speaking about only one principle - territorial integrity; militaristic rhetoric was raised in Azerbaijan. During the recent period many statements have been adopted by international organizations, in different instances which comply with our approaches. During the recent months no resolution has been adopted over Karabakh which would not correspond with our positions: be it the Moscow declaration, under which the President of the Republic of Armenia, President of Azerbaijan and President of Russia put their signatures: although after several days Azerbaijan put under question several points of that declaration. Three declarations were adopted in Helsinki in early December, by the 56 OSCE Foreign Ministers, also Foreign Ministers of the Minsk Group Co-Chair countries and the EU. And these three statements, declarations correspond to our positions and we entirely share the opinions expressed in that statements and support them and find that if we move according to these documents, maybe we will have a progress. At the beginning of the year Azerbaijan tried to make certain steps in the UN, unconstructive steps, started to spread memorandums – four memorandums, which in fact created another serious obstacle in the negotiation process. The Minsk Group co-chair countries condemned that step. Today there is a certain positive tendency in Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) process as the president of the same Azerbaijan announces about the settlement of Artsakh issue already on the basis of international law. In other words - on the basis of all principles. And it is really an important positive tendency. Three meetings have been held between Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan – in Saint-Petersburg, Moscow and Zurich and in the near future, maybe in May another one will take place. We hope that the meeting will be positive and constructive and will give an opportunity to activate the negotiations, move forward and in the future to reproach the positions of the sides of the conflict.

- There are different comments, analysis on the Armenian-Turkish relations, settlement of the Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) conflict which causes confusion: I hope that our interview clarified many questions.

 - I would like to say that I pay sufficient attention to all the opinions raised by analysts, and I am trying to use positive suggestions and ideas existing in the analyses. But there are also such analyses which say – we don’t know what you are doing, but what you do you do it wrong. You do it wrong because we are not doing that, and what we would have done we will not tell you – it is like the person saying I will not enter into water until I learn swimming, and so without learning swimming he gives advises, or makes remarks about the dangers of drowning. The leadership of the state must have courage to take responsibility and make important decisions and implement them. Today the international community treats Armenia with respect. I say with respect and not use exciting words like “they love us” or “they do not love us”: they treat us with respect and it is natural, natural by that means that we are a state, we have our interests, our issues, and we are also trying to understand issues and interests of other countries. And by combing these interests we are trying to find such solutions which will be good for everyone. And first of all for us; the important thing is that those solutions be effective and favorable for our people and our state.