Establishment of diplomatic relations and opening of the border with Turkey will be of benefit not only to Armenia and Turkey but the entire region, Armenian President said.

“The decision to launch a process of normalization of relations with Turkey was one of the hardest ones I have ever taken. Yes, Turks committed Genocide and continue denying this fact even 100 years later. Denial of a crime is the worst crime. But, on the other hand, almost all countries across the globe experienced historical problems. Civilized response to such problems is cooperation without preconditions,” Serzh Sargsyan said in an interview with Profile Ukrainian magazine.

“Our initiative was perceived in different ways, specifically by Diaspora Armenians. It’s quite understandable, because each Armenian family suffered at that time. However, opinions tend to change and more people believe that the Armenian authorities took the right step,” he said.

“Our initiative did not conflict with our national interests. Normalization of relations with Turkey does not mean renouncement of the Armenian Genocide worldwide recognition campaign. Now, Armenia is awaiting the Turkish to display political will,” President Sargsyan concluded.