Sargis Khandanyan says time has come to establish interparliamentary ties with Azerbaijan and Türkiye

As one of its priorities for the next five years, Armenia should also seek to do more through parliamentary diplomacy to normalise relations with neighbouring countries in the region.

Sargis Khandanyan, Chair of the Armenian National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Relations, expressed this view at the APRI Forum 2026.

“We cooperate quite closely with two of our neighbours in this format, but in the context of the peace and normalisation processes, the time has come to establish interparliamentary ties with Azerbaijan and Türkiye, which would be very logical. As part of our diversification policy, we should seek to broaden the scope of parliamentary diplomacy.

“In previous years, we have worked very actively with European and North American countries, but there remains considerable untapped potential for cooperation, particularly with Central Asian and Gulf countries. Concrete steps are already being taken to address this. The logic of our relations will be shaped precisely by a diversified and balanced foreign policy,” Khandanyan said.

He said Armenia’s geographical position offered opportunities for active cooperation and for the country to be at the centre of various logistics and trade chains.

“We should not view the preservation of our sovereignty through the prism of conflicting interests of others, but should instead seek, as far as possible, to avoid becoming a point where those interests clash. A balanced foreign policy means not having exclusive relations with only one geopolitical centre, but maintaining balanced ties with as many centres as possible.

“From the perspective of preserving our sovereignty, building normal relations with the countries of the region is very important, because one of the most important guarantees of preserving sovereignty is maintaining peace. We need to continue the peace process patiently and avoid tensions with all our neighbours so that external powers cannot take advantage of those tensions,” Khandanyan said.

He stressed that Armenia was indeed moving closer to the West – Europe and the United States – and was thereby diversifying its relations in different directions. According to Khandanyan, deepening relations with the EU is also a matter of Armenia’s domestic agenda because the country’s European aspirations and the process of joining the EU are, first and foremost, a process that contributes to the domestic reform agenda.

Khandanyan said diversification was important in terms of access to foreign markets, energy cooperation and certain forms of security cooperation, but stressed that the principle of balance should always be kept in mind.

“The Iran-US conflict in our neighbourhood cannot in any way be in Armenia’s interests and cannot be beneficial to the region as a whole. We therefore hope that the conflict will be resolved through peaceful diplomatic means in the near future.

“Our friendly relations with Iran are very important for Armenia, and there is an intention on both sides to elevate them to a strategic level, although the quality and nature of the relationship are already strategic in themselves. The relevant document will be signed in the near future. Armenia does not intend to develop relations with any country at the expense of other partner states,” the MP said.

Turning to relations between Armenia and Russia, Khandanyan said they needed to be transformed, given that, through inertia and circumstances, they had largely been built primarily around security cooperation.

“But events have taken place which have demonstrated that Russia cannot be the guarantor of Armenia’s security. The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has ended and peace has been established, so these circumstances must be taken into account and the nature of Armenian-Russian relations brought into line with the new reality.

“This does not mean that relations between Armenia and Russia should be severed. On the contrary, bilateral relations have considerable potential for development. We will seek to resolve the problems that have arisen on both sides through negotiations in a calm atmosphere.

“If the TRIPP project remains the only functioning programme for unblocking infrastructure, we will have a problem. Armenia’s railways must therefore, in our case, be adapted to connect with the outside world,” Khandanyan said.

According to him, both the opportunities and risks associated with the TRIPP project should be assessed. However, he described the risks being raised as not so much risks as political perceptions.

“The first was the risk related to Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, but the TRIPP formula has already resolved that issue. The project will be implemented within the principles of preserving Armenia’s sovereignty, jurisdiction and territorial integrity.

“During the next month, Armenia and the United States will also sign the main framework agreement on TRIPP, which will be ratified by the National Assembly. The agreement contains all the answers regarding political perceptions. TRIPP should not be the only exclusive project that unblocks Armenia,” said the Chair of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Relations.

Finally, addressing the process of normalising Armenian-Turkish relations, Khandanyan said the Armenian side was seeking to keep the Armenia-Türkiye normalisation process exclusively within the bilateral agenda, despite the difficulties that arise.

“I do not think the process is at an impasse; nevertheless, decisions are being made. We do not see any obstacle preventing relations between the two sides from being fully normalised. Türkiye should have opened its border with Armenia and established diplomatic relations long ago.

“Filled with faith and hope, we will continue working in this direction, which occupies an important place in our diversification policy,” Khandanyan concluded.