Armenia: Armenia and Turkiye held their sixth meeting Friday to discuss accelerating the comprehensive normalization of relations between the two neighboring countries and overcoming their historical differences. Ruben Rubinyan, Deputy Speaker of the Armenian Parliament, and Vardar Kilic, former Turkish Ambassador to the United States, engaged in talks focused on advancing the normalization process. They emphasized the importance of speeding up the implementation of agreements reached in prior meetings, particularly those from July 2022 concerning the opening of the border between the two nations.
According to Qatar News Agency, the special representatives from both countries decided that the relevant authorities in Armenia and Turkiye would carry out technical work necessary to rehabilitate and operate the Kars-Gumri railway and the electricity interconnection line. Additionally, they agreed to enhance collaboration in cultural and academic spheres, offering scholarships for higher education students and cooperating on the restoration of the Silk Road Bridge "Ani."
Further agreements included steps to enable other airlines to commence direct flights to various destinations starting in the summer of 2026, which would increase the number of flights between Armenia and Turkiye. Both sides reiterated Yerevan and Ankara's commitment to continuing the normalization process "without preconditions."
Yerevan and Ankara have participated in several rounds of normalization talks. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan remarked during a press conference in mid-March that the "normalization of relations between the two countries is just a matter of time."