Representatives of Armenia, Turkey met on border amid efforts to restore diplomatic ties
- 30 July, 11:51
Armenia and Turkey have taken another step forward towards normalization of diplomatic ties. Armenia and Turkey’s special representatives for normalization, Ruben Rubinyan and Serdar Kılıç, met at the border on Tuesday, reaffirming previous agreements but without setting specific timelines for implementation. The meeting discussed opening the border for citizens of other countries and included a focus on assessing the technical requirements for reopening the Ahurik/Akyaka railway border checkpoint and simplifying visa procedures for diplomatic passport holders.
This meeting at the border marked the fifth round of talks between Armenian and Turkish special representatives, following four previous meetings in 2022. These earlier discussions, held in Moscow and Vienna, consistently concluded with both sides expressing their commitment to pursuing a complete normalization of relations without any prior conditions.
During the fourth meeting held on July 1, the sides agreed “To enable the crossing of the Armenian-Turkish land border for citizens of third countries; and to begin direct air cargo transportation between Armenia and Turkey.”
Earlier, in January 2023, the countries lifted the ban on cargo transportation. Despite discussions, there has been no concrete progress made on the issue of opening the border to citizens of other nations.
