The normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey should have no preconditions, an Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Monday, October 17, according to RFE/RL Armenian Service.

In a statement, Tigran Balayan played down Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s assessment of Turkey’s role in the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. At a Yerevan-hosted CSTO session on October 14, Lavrov attached particular importance to Ankara’s role in the peace process. “Moscow believes that progress in Karabakh negotiations is pivotal for mending Armenian-Turkish ties,” he said.

On Monday, Balayan commented on the matter, saying that “for years, Russia’s stance has been in line with that of Armenia: reconciliation with Turkey must be exempt from any preconditions. We remain committed to our principled position.”

“I don’t think Moscow’s stance has changed either,” Babayan added.

Armenia has on numerous occasions urged Turkey to stay away from the Karabakh conflict.Relations between the two countries officially do not exist. In 1993 Turkey reacted to the war in Karabakh by closing its border with Armenia out of support for Azerbaijan. It has for years linked normalization of relations with Armenia with the settlement of Karabakh conflict.