More Discussions Held Ahead of Next Week’s Meeting Between Ankara, Yerevan Envoys
The newly-installed United States’ Ambassador to Turkey Jeff Flake called the current effort to normalize relations between Turkey and Armenia a “wonderful development.”
“We welcome those steps, including the meetings [between Turkish and Armenian special envoys] in Moscow and Vienna. These are, surely, courageous steps. An important step is also the restoration of flights between Istanbul and Yerevan,” Flake said during an interview with Turkish Anadolou news agency.
As a member of the House of Representatives and later the Senate, Flake consistently opposed bipartisan Congressional efforts to recognize the Armenian Genocide. In 2005, 2007, and 2010 – Flake as a member of the House voted against measures on the Armenian Genocide pending before the House International Relations Committee. In 2014, Flake was one of only five U.S. Senators to oppose an Armenian Genocide resolution advanced in the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Foreign Relations by its Chairman, Robert Menendez.
In September, Flake was pressed on the issue during his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, whose chairman, Menendez, point blank asked him whether he would acknowledge the Genocide given the passage of measures in both Houses of Congress in 2019 and last year’s acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide by President Joe Biden.
“In the past, you’ve voted against resolutions which recognize the genocide. Will you join this body and administration in reaffirming the Armenian Genocide?”, Sen. Menendez asked in Septemeber. Flake offered a one-word answer — “Yes.”
Menendez followed up, “If you are confirmed, will you reiterate that commitment on April 24th which is Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day?” Flake responded, “I will.”
The special envoys appointed by Ankara and Yerevan to lead the talks on the normalization process are scheduled to meet next week in Vienna.
Ahead of those talks, Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with Ruben Rubinyan, Yerevan’s special envoy, as well as group of political experts to discuss issues related to the Turkey-Armenia normalization.
Similarly, Mirzoyan discussed the matter during a telephone conversation Tuesday with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
