Azernews.Az

YEREVAN – Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian has dismissed reports about talks with the Swiss Foreign Ministry on normalizing his country’s strained relations with Turkey.

"There are currently no talks or contacts between Turkey and Armenia," Nalbandian said in parliament.

Commenting on Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey’s statement that Bern was holding consultations with Yerevan and Ankara, Nalbandian said he could not elaborate on the issue.

Turkish media reported that Switzerland has begun pursuing a policy of "phone diplomacy" with both Turkey and Armenia in a bid to reconcile the two estranged neighbors.

Nalbandian said that if Ankara is ready to normalize bilateral relations without pre-conditions, Yerevan would agree to the reconciliation as well.

Turkey and Armenia do not have diplomatic relations and the border between the two countries has been closed since 1993 due to Armenia's occupation of the territories of Azerbaijan, Turkey’s ally, and Yerevan’s claims on 1915 "genocide" In October 2009, the two governments signed two protocols to establish diplomatic relations and reopen their borders. However, the documents require parliamentary approval, and Turkish officials have assured Azerbaijan that the protocols will not pass in the country’s parliament until progress is made in resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno Karabakh.