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Türkiye and Armenia will hold their first-ever inter-delegation meeting this week, marking another milestone in efforts to normalize relations between the two neighbors, Turkish media reported Sunday citing diplomatic sources.
A delegation led by Türkiye’s special representative, Ambassador Serdar Kılıç, is expected to cross into Armenia via the Alican border gate for the talks. Kılıç last met his Armenian counterpart, Ruben Rubinyan, at the same crossing point last year in July.
Officials familiar with the plans said the meeting could see concrete steps on implementing agreements reached in earlier rounds of normalization talks.
Since 2022, the two sides have agreed to resume cargo flights, start technical work on border infrastructure and ease visa procedures for diplomatic passport holders. They also decided to allow third-country nationals to cross the border, though that measure has yet to take effect.
The talks come shortly after the signing of a U.S.-brokered deal with Armenia and Azerbaijan last month concerning peace in Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region and the Zangezur corridor, a development seen as adding significance to the timing of the visit.
Türkiye and Armenia have held five rounds of normalization talks in recent years, seeking to restore diplomatic ties and reopen borders closed since the early 1990s.
The two countries share a complex history. Armenia, for a long time, has accused Türkiye, or rather, the Ottoman Empire, of committing “genocide” against the Armenian population in the country during World War I. Türkiye has repeatedly denied the claims, although it has acknowledged a high number of deaths among Armenians due to isolated incidents and diseases.
Borders have remained closed since 1993 following Armenia’s illegal occupation of the Azerbaijani territory of Karabakh. Relations began to thaw after the 2020 Karabakh war, with both sides appointing special envoys to pursue normalization talks and negotiating the reopening of their land border. So far, limited agreements have allowed third-country citizens and diplomats to cross, but a full reopening remains elusive.
Despite the hurdles, there have been tentative gestures toward cooperation. The Margara border crossing has been used twice in recent years for humanitarian purposes: in February 2023 to deliver Armenian aid trucks following a devastating earthquake in southeastern Türkiye, and in March 2024 for humanitarian aid shipments to Syria via Türkiye. Armenia has also upgraded the crossing in anticipation of future use.
In June, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited Türkiye and met President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a historic but somewhat muted visit. Two leaders expressed their readiness for peace in their region and a commitment to normalizing ties.
Türkiye has welcomed progress toward establishing lasting peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia following a U.S.-brokered declaration recorded in Washington on Aug. 8.
One of the key components of the peace agreement at the moment is the development of what is being called the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), which will connect mainland Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic exclave. Regionally, it’s known as the Zangezur corridor.
Experts have suggested that the transit project could integrate Armenia into regional trade, which could encourage Yerevan to enhance its relations with Ankara.
