Turkey will risk reversing its unprecedented rapprochement with Armenia if it persists in linking the process with a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict desired by Azerbaijan, Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian has said. In an interview with RFE/RL, he also sought to cool talk of an imminent Karabakh settlement.
The speaker of Armenia's parliament, Hovik Abrahamian, denies the presence of political prisoners in his country and urges critics to wait until the completion of trials of leading opposition members.
The Armenian prime minister believes the set of measures foreseen by the government will help Armenia cope with the negative consequences and minimize the impact of the continuing economic crisis in 2009. Tigran Sarkisian said more investments in infrastructure development and several large projects to be launched by the state will provide new jobs for people to offset possible redundancies elsewhere.
![“Had there been preconditions, we would not have started this process [of rapprochement with Turkey] and reached agreements in the first place," Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian (in a screen grab) told RFE/RL's Armenian Service.](https://gdb.rferl.org/675070f3-05dc-4e05-b1dd-7f258a0033e7_w100_r1.jpg)
![“Had there been preconditions, we would not have started this process [of rapprochement with Turkey] and reached agreements in the first place," Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian (in a screen grab) told RFE/RL's Armenian Service.](https://gdb.rferl.org/675070f3-05dc-4e05-b1dd-7f258a0033e7_w66_r1.jpg)
