Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated at the meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu that natural disasters and their dimensions go beyond the borders of states.
“First of all, on behalf of the Republic of Armenia, I once again express my condolences to the families of the thousands of people who died in the devastating earthquake, the people and government of Turkey, and I wish a speedy recovery to all the injured.
One of the bitterest pages in the history of my people was the destructive earthquake in Spitak in 1988, and today we are not alien to the sorrow that visited thousands of families in Turkey.
Similar natural disasters and their dimensions go beyond the borders of states, becoming universal tragedies. And the world must work with a united front to overcome them. I am convinced that the international community should not remain indifferent in case of any humanitarian crisis occurring anywhere on the planet. And it was on this principle that the RA government decided to send rescuers and humanitarian aid to Turkey immediately after the catastrophic earthquake.
I thank Mr. Çavuşoğlu for his words of appreciation for our rescuers and, in general, for the Armenian presence and support.
I am thrilled that our rescuers, in cooperation with their colleagues, managed to do the essential thing in this situation: to save human lives.
I also consider it symbolic that on Saturday, the Armenian-Turkish border, which has been closed for thirty years, was opened for Armenian trucks loaded with humanitarian aid going to Adiyama. The same thing happened last night; hours later, another batch of humanitarian aid will arrive in Adiyama.
Dear attendees,
Of course, our meeting today is due to the disaster that took many lives; however, being in Turkey at this challenging moment, I once again want to reaffirm the importance of building peace in the region and, in particular, the entire settlement of relations with Turkey, the establishment of diplomatic relations and the complete establishment of the border between Armenia and Turkey. The readiness and aspiration of the Republic of Armenia regarding the opening.
I want to inform you, as Minister Çavuşoğlu did a little while ago, that today we discussed some details related to this process; we have an agreement to repair the Ani bridge with joint efforts, as well as take care of the relevant infrastructures, before the complete opening of the border,” he said.
