The exact date for reopening the Armenia–Turkey border remains undetermined, RIA Novosti reported, citing a Turkish diplomatic source.
The normalization process between Ankara and Yerevan is proceeding in parallel with peace negotiations between Baku and Yerevan.
On August 8, leaders of the United States, Armenia, and Azerbaijan signed a joint declaration at the White House concerning the peaceful settlement of the Armenia–Azerbaijan conflict.
“There is no specific timeline for this topic [the opening of the Turkey–Armenia border]. As Mr. President [Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan] has stated, the process of normalizing relations between Turkey and Armenia will proceed in parallel with the peace process between Baku and Yerevan. We see positive steps in this direction, and the signing of a peace agreement between the two countries would benefit the entire region,” the source told the agency.
Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic relations, and the border has been closed since 1993 at Ankara’s initiative. The tense bilateral relationship stems from several factors, including Ankara’s support for Azerbaijan’s position on Nagorno-Karabakh and Turkey’s strong opposition to international recognition of the 1915 Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire.
On July 1, 2022, during a meeting in Vienna, Ruben Rubinyan and Serdar Kılıç agreed to allow third-country citizens to cross the Armenia–Turkey land border in the short term — a measure that, however, has yet to be implemented.
