Ankara attempts to resume rapprochement with Yerevan

Switzerland's foreign ministry has during the recent days initiated a phone call with their Armenian and Turkish colleagues in an attempt to resume the rapprochement between Yerevan and Ankara, reports Turkish daily Hurriyet, citing its unnamed diplomatic sources.

"Some time ago Switzerland initiated a phone call with us and informed us that it wishes to resume the frozen process. We answered that we don't have any problem. It can be said that they have made the same proposal to Yerevan," Hurriyet quotes an unnamed Turkish foreign ministry official as saying.

Further it has said that Ankara wishes to establish good-neighborly relations with Yerevan.

"We want to establish good-neighborly relations with Armenia. The freezing of the process was initiated by Armenia," said the source, adding that it is therefore Armenia that should first take steps to resume the process of ratification of the Armenia-Turkey Protocols.

"Our doors have always been open for rapprochement with good intentions," it said.

Asked to comment whether or not the report is true, Armenia's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Tigran Balayan told Tert.am that no talks are underway over the Protocols.

"There are no negotiations over the Protocols," he said.