Armenia is a small obstacle to Turkey`s growing influence in the Turkic and Arab worlds

ArmInfo. Armenia is only a small obstacle to Turkey's expanding influence both in the Turkic region and in the Muslim and Arab worlds, stated Robert Kocharyan, the second president of Armenia and leader of the opposition Armenia bloc, in the latest episode of the "Big Politics" podcast.

In this vein, he noted the fallacy of claims that Turkey economically needs Armenia. "The economic benefits that the Turkish economy will receive from opening the border with Armenia are grossly overestimated. These benefits are not sufficient to cover the strategic benefits for Turkey," Kocharyan said.

He emphasized that the normalization of Armenian-Turkish and Armenian-Azerbaijani relations are interconnected. This has always been the case, and the issue has always hinged on the harmonious interdependence of Turkey and Azerbaijan, which is why no progress has been previously recorded in the normalization of relations between Yerevan and Ankara.

"We didn't close the border with Turkey; we don't need persuasion. Our border is open; persuade Turkey," I've always told our European partners. I've also said that we support Turkey's EU membership, because if it transforms enough to become a member of the European Union, it will cease to be a threat to Armenia. We can only welcome this," the former president recalled.

And in the current reality, Turkey will seize on Armenia's weak positions and advance its interests, making ever-increasing demands.