Istanbul-based politician Garo Paylan, speaking during a break at the Orbeli Forum: Building Peace and Multilateral Cooperation in Yerevan, said his dream is to see the Armenia-Turkey border opened as soon as possible, Panorama.am reports.
According to Paylan, the coming months are critical as they could lead to progress or a serious deterioration in the situation.
He suggested that “very good developments” could come as early as January, initially allowing citizens of third countries to cross the border, with the hope that citizens of Armenia and Turkey will be able to do so a few months later.
“I see a bright future for Armenia-Turkey cooperation,” Paylan said, expressing optimism about the partnership potential.
He noted that Azerbaijan and Turkey pursue a “two states, one nation” policy, but stressed that both normalization tracks, Armenia-Turkey and Armenia-Azerbaijan, can proceed in parallel. Previously, he said, Armenia-Azerbaijan tensions had blocked Armenia-Turkey efforts.
“These next few months must be decisive for both cooperation processes. And if Western countries offer even slight help to persuade Ankara and Baku, real progress can be made. But again, these months are crucial. Things could go forward, or everything could fall apart,” Paylan said.
At the same forum, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan officially invited Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to attend the European Political Community summit set for May 2026 in Yerevan. Armenia and Turkey have had no diplomatic ties since 1991, and their border has remained closed since 1993, following Ankara’s decision. Special envoys for normalization were appointed in December 2021.
