The talks took place on the sidelines of the COP31 United Nations climate summit, which Turkey is hosting. The two leaders stressed the importance of advancing the normalization process and “bringing it to a logical conclusion,” according to a statement released by Pashinian’s press office.
They also reportedly highlighted agreements reached and steps taken so far, as well as the need to further promote trade and economic relations between the two neighboring countries.
The two leaders discussed regional developments, emphasizing that the establishment of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan “has given fresh impetus to regional cooperation.”
According to the statement, Erdogan and Pashinian also addressed efforts to unblock regional transport links, including steps toward implementing the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), a United States-run transit corridor for Azerbaijan via Armenia.
Also attending the meeting were Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan, Armenian Environment Minister Hambardzum Matevosian, and Ibrahim Kalin, director of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization, an RFE/RL Armenian Service correspondent reported from Antalya.
Erdogan was quoted by the Armenian leader’s press office as welcoming Pashinian’s visit to Antalya and his participation in the leaders’ summit, while the Armenian prime minister congratulated the Turkish president on the organization of the event. Pashinian also reportedly offered condolences over fatalities caused by an explosion at a metalworking factory in Izmir.
Talking to reporters after the meeting, Prime Minister Pashinian described it as positive.
He told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that they also discussed why the agreements reached so far had not yet been implemented.
“Yes, we addressed all the issues,” he said, without elaborating on how the Turkish side responded to that matter.
“We expect further developments in our relations,” he added.
Asked by a reporter whether Armenia had plans to open an embassy in Ankara, Pashinian replied that it depended on the Turkish side. “We are ready to establish diplomatic relations even today,” he emphasized.
The leaders of Armenia and Turkey last met in September in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. They reaffirmed their readiness to continue the normalization process without preconditions and give fresh impetus to bilateral relations, according to official statements at the time.
Armenia and Turkey embarked on a new phase of efforts to normalize their relations and reopen their shared border, which has remained closed for more than three decades, following the 2020 Armenian-Azerbaijani war in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The two sides agreed in 2022 to open the border to citizens of third countries and holders of diplomatic passports, but the arrangement has yet to be implemented.
Ankara has repeatedly linked the normalization of relations with Armenia to progress in Armenian-Azerbaijani relations. Although Yerevan and Baku initialed a U.S.-brokered peace agreement in August 2025, they have yet to sign it. Azerbaijan has made the signing of the agreement conditional on the removal from Armenia’s constitution of a provision that it says contains territorial claims against Azerbaijan.
On the sidelines of the UN climate summit in Antalya, Pashinian also met with other foreign leaders, including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
