Turkey, Armenia to hold key meeting in push for normalization
A Turkish delegation led by Ambassador Serdar Kılıç is expected to cross into Armenia through the Alican checkpoint in eastern Türkiye, marking the first time envoys and their teams will officially cross the land border to hold talks.
Discussions will focus on implementing earlier deals, which included resuming cargo transportation and air flights, opening the border, easing visa procedures for diplomatic passport holders and allowing third-country nationals to cross between the two neighbors. Many of those measures remain unfulfilled.
The renewed push follows a Sept. 1 meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in China.
According to the press service of the Armenian cabinet, the leaders stressed the importance of steps to build mutual trust, enhance regional communications and maintain stability in the South Caucasus. The parties agreed to continue the dialogue.
Erdoğan also voiced satisfaction with progress in Armenia’s peace process with Azerbaijan, which took a significant turn on Aug. 8 when Azerbaijani President İlham Aliyev and Pashinyan shook hands at a White House summit before signing an agreement aimed at ending decades of conflict.
Türkiye closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with Baku during fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh. Relations remained frozen until Ankara and Yerevan agreed in 2021 to launch new normalization talks and appointed special envoys to lead the process.
Earlier attempts at reconciliation faltered in 2009, when a deal to establish diplomatic relations and reopen the border failed to win ratification.
In June, Erdoğan hosted Pashinyan in Ankara for a landmark “working visit” and the two discussed possible steps to repair ties.
In August, Pashinyan said that Ankara and Yerevan are directly discussing the opening of mutual borders, adding that he believed the steps would see positive results.
“Armenia’s borders may be opened not only through Türkiye, but also in other directions. I believe the Armenia-Türkiye border will be opened,” he said.
