US notes its ‘disappointment’ about Türkiye's closure of airfield to Armenia

By Firdevs Bulut Kartal

TORONTO (AA) - Washington supports the normalization process between Türkiye and Armenia but noted “with disappointment" that Ankara closed its airspace to Armenian planes after Armenia opened the "Nemesis Monument" in Yerevan, State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said Wednesday.

Türkiye's closing its airspace to Armenian planes was mentioned at a State Department news conference after Armenia opened the monument to commemorate "Operation Nemesis" -- an assassination plot against Ottoman political and military leaders and Azerbaijani politicians.

"The US strongly supports Armenia-Turkey normalization, which we believe would be important for not just these two countries but helpful for stability across the region," said Patel.

Regarding the closure of the airspace, he said "We note with disappointment, Turkey's announcement that it would suspend Armenian airline overflight permissions."

An agreement to resume air connections was a significant confidence-building measure, said Patel, not just between the two countries, but broadly for regional stability.

"It's our sincere hope that Turkey and Armenia can continue to rebuild economic ties and open transportation links as well," he said.

A monument to the operation was unveiled in late April in the Armenian capital of Yerevan, honoring perpetrators of assassinations against Ottoman and Azerbaijani officials in the early 1920s.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry called the monument “shameful” and a “glorification of a bloody act of terror.”