Armenian National Assembly Vice Speaker Ruben Rubinyan, recently appointed Armenia’s special representative for Armenia-Turkey normalization talks, today announced that he’s consulted with diplomats and Armenian foreign ministry staff on the matter.

Rubinyan, at a session of the parliament today, said he’s working with Armenian envoys who’ve had dealings with Turkey in the past. He did not mention names.

Rubinyan said he’s wiling to listen to other perspectives on the normalization process but the issue is being manipulated by certain political forces in Armenia.

"I am very open to discussions, but I regret that discussions on this topic are held in an atmosphere of extreme manipulation," he said.

Rubinyan said the National Assembly has devolved into an assemblage of meaningless parties that just make noise rather than engaging in substance.

Responding to opposition faction charges that he’s a “Turkish agent”, Rubinyan said the political arena in Armenia suffers from political hypocrisy.

"You or the forces affiliated with you, the media, are doing a very predictable thing by trying to present me as a person with suspicious connections. I have a question. How can a faction, whose members are part of the ARF, which for example, signed a document of cooperation with the Young Turks prior to the genocide, a force that visited Constantinople in 1918 and said that Armenia owed its independence to Turkey, a force that’s supported Robert Kocharyan, during whose tenure secret negotiations between Armenia and Turkey took place, do such a thing?” Rubinyan asked. 

The ARF is part of the opposition Hayastan alliance led by former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan.

Rubinyan said the Armenian public is tired of hearing the expressions "Turk", "agent", "traitor" bandied about on a daily basis

"Fine. But where is this leading us? I urge everyone to enter the arena of substance," he said.