Armenian speaker distances himself from inauguration of controversial monument in Yerevan

By Burc Eruygur

ANKARA (AA) - Armenia's parliament speaker said on Thursday that the inauguration of the Nemesis Monument in the capital Yerevan, which honors perpetrators of assassinations against Ottoman and Azerbaijani officials in the early 1920s, is not an expression of the country's foreign policy.

"The placement of the statue was decided at the local government level. This should not be perceived as an expression of the foreign policy of Armenia or as a step that does not carry goodwill," Alen Simonyan told reporters on the sidelines of the 61st General Assembly of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC) in Ankara.

Expressing that Armenia's foreign policy is constructed by the prime minister and the Foreign Ministry, Simonyan said if they had the will, they could find any reason to deteriorate relations with Türkiye and that he could find "thousands of reasons not to come to Türkiye."

"However, I am here to tell the Turkish people that Armenia is ready for peace. I would like to express that Armenia is ready to normalize relations without any preconditions," he added.

Simonyan expressed his condolences to the Turkish people for the twin earthquakes in southern Türkiye last February, saying they sent two rescue teams that crossed the border and brought aid during the difficult time.

“My arrival here was also with the aim of reaffirming Armenia's intention to establish good relations with its neighbors. I think we should not miss this historic opportunity,” he added.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Wednesday said Türkiye and Azerbaijan have taken many steps toward normalization of relations with Armenia, and that erecting a monument to honor terrorists who have "martyred our (Turkish) diplomats" is "unacceptable."