By Tatevik Sargsyan and Artak Khulian
YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — Turkey and Armenia have said that they will soon appoint special envoys for bilateral negotiations on normalizing their relations.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavusoglu was the first to announce the planned talks in Turkish parliament on the evening of December 13. The special negotiators will be named as part of “steps to normalize relations with Armenia,” he said without giving any other details.
Çavusoglu also stressed that Turkey consulted with Azerbaijan before making the decision. ”We will be taking every step together with Azerbaijan,” he said.
Armenia confirmed and hailed Çavusoglu’s statement on December 14. The Foreign Ministry spokesman, Vahan Hunanyan, said “the Armenian side will also appoint a special representative for the dialogue.”
“Armenia has always been and remains ready for a process of normalizing relations with Turkey without preconditions,” Hunanyan said in written comments to the media.