Turkey no longer has a reason to blockade Armenia, Foreign Minister Ara Aivazian said in parliament on Wednesday, February 10.

According to him, Turkey has been keeping the border with Armenia closed for many years due to the status quo in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“The status quo has now changed as a result of the use of force. Turkey no longer has any reason to keep its border with Armenia closed. Under pressure from the global community, Turkey will have to open the border sooner or later. At the same time, we understand that opening the border contains both opportunities and risks,” Aivazian said.

The foreign policy chief added that Armenia and the authorities will do everything to improve the security in the country.

Aivazian also reminded lawmakers about the military drills currently underway in Kars, near Turkey’s border with Armenia. He stressed that the Armenian society and diplomacy should be ready for any scenarios and challenges.

In the war against Artsakh (Karabakh), Turkey supported Azerbaijan militarily, also by transferring terrorist mercenaries from the Middle East to fight against Karabakh. Armenia was the first to report on Turkey's deployment of thousands of Syrian fighters to Azerbaijan. International media publications followed suit, as did reactions from France, Russia, Iran and Syria. The Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army has already unveiled footage from the interrogation of two such terrorists captured on the front.