Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Ankara, Rashad Mammadov, answered the question, "Does Azerbaijan not want the opening of the Turkey-Armenia borders?"
Modern.az reports that the ambassador, speaking to "Cumhuriyet" newspaper, stated that Azerbaijan participates in the Turkey-Armenia normalization process and said, "The border between the two countries will open after Armenia's June 7 elections and constitutional changes."
Rashad Mammadov emphasized that Azerbaijan pursues a coordinated policy in the normalization process between Turkey and Armenia:
"We pursue a coordinated policy with Turkey, we are in constant contact with the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We are conducting the Armenia-Turkey normalization and Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization processes in parallel. We agree with each other, we move step by step."
The ambassador noted that one of the main problems is the continued territorial claims against Azerbaijan in the Armenian Constitution:
"There is a territorial claim against Azerbaijan in the Armenian Constitution. After the June 7 elections, they will change the Constitution, they will hold a referendum. After the territorial claim is removed, the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace agreement initialed in the USA will be signed. After that, the Armenia-Turkey and Armenia-Azerbaijan borders will open."
Rashad Mammadov also made interesting statements when commenting on the start of direct trade between Turkey and Armenia. He stated that small steps are already being taken towards normalization and Azerbaijan is also participating in this process:
"We are taking small steps, and Azerbaijan is also taking them. Azerbaijan has also started trading. We already play a certain role in Armenia's energy security. We provide oil products and fuel. We create conditions for the transportation of their wheat and other products from Kazakhstan and Russia via Azerbaijan. And we tell them that if there is peace, their security will also be better. Turkey is also taking small steps."
It should be noted that Turkey's Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan also stated in November last year, "As soon as the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace agreement is signed, we will open the border gates."
Turkey closed its borders with Armenia in 1993 after Armenia expanded its occupation policy in Karabakh. After Azerbaijan regained Karabakh and surrounding territories in 2020, the Ankara-Yerevan normalization process came back on the agenda.
