Pashinián says he feels “convinced” that Armenia and Turkey will soon open diplomatic relations, despite decades of rupture and a closed border.

The head of the Government of Armenia, Nikol Pashinián, reiterated this Friday that he feels “convinced” that in the near term full diplomatic relations can be established with Turkey, which would represent a milestone in the relationship between the two States, which to date lack normalized official ties.

“Armenia and Turkey have not yet established diplomatic relations, but I am convinced that these relations will be established soon, with mutual recognition of territorial integrity, sovereignty and borders,” the Armenian leader said in statements at a political forum in Yerevan, as reported by the Armenpress agency.

Pashinián also emphasized that, sooner or later, that step of diplomatic recognition will end up taking place. “I consider this to be a fact that we must leave established,” the Armenian prime minister said.

At present, diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey do not exist officially and both countries maintain a stance of marked hostility over historical disputes surrounding the Armenian genocide carried out between 1915 and 1923. As a consequence of this historical conflict, no formal ties have been established and the border they share remains closed since the 1990s.