Armenian expert reacts to Erdogan’s statement he's received Pashinyan's offer to meet
Turkologist, Doctor of History and Professor Ruben Melkonyan has reacted to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s latest statement that Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had offered to meet with him via a message transmitted by the Georgian prime minister.
"If he [Pashinian] would like to meet with Tayyip Erdogan, then clear steps should be taken," Erdogan told reporters at an Istanbul airport on Sunday before leaving for New York to attend the annual United Nations General Assembly meetings, referring to the creation of a transit corridor that would have to go through Armenia to connect Azerbaijan to Nakhichevan that borders Turkey and Iran.
"If that meeting takes place, Turkey will establish diplomatic relations," he said.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Ruben Melkonyan said the Armenian Foreign Ministry had to confirm or deny Erdogan’s remarks “if, naturally, it is aware of it all".
He called attention to the fact that Erdogan spoke about Pashinyan without mentioning his name or position.
“Another aspect in Erdogan's speech grabbed my attention and I would like to ask a rhetorical question about it. What is the significance of the fact that Erdogan, the leader of a country, speaks about the leader of another country without mentioning that person's name, surname or position at least once during his speech in terms of political attitude or perception, messages in international diplomatic protocol?” the expert said.