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Türkiye and Armenia will conduct their first inter-delegation meeting next week to discuss the normalization of relations and border opening, with the Turkish delegation expected to cross into Armenia through the Alican Border Gate, according to diplomatic sources reported by Turkish media outlets on Sunday.
The Turkish delegation, led by Ambassador Serdar Kilic, will travel to Armenia early next week, marking a significant milestone in the two countries' efforts to normalize relations after decades of closed borders.
The border between Türkiye and Armenia has been closed since 1993, and the two countries have had no diplomatic relations due to disputes over the Karabakh conflict and historical issues.
During this first inter-delegation meeting, officials are expected to make decisions on normalizing bilateral relations and may implement previously agreed-upon measures, according to Turkish broadcaster NTV.
In five previous meetings between Kilic and Armenian Parliament Deputy Speaker Ruben Rubinyan, the two sides had agreed to:
These decisions have yet to be implemented, according to reports.
According to another Turkish broadcaster, CNN Turk, the upcoming intergovernmental meeting will discuss specific steps for normalizing relations, including the implementation of previously agreed measures.
The last meeting between Kilic and Rubinyan took place at a border checkpoint in July 2024.
The timing of the meeting is notable, coming after Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a joint declaration in Washington on Aug. 8 regarding the restoration of relations.
The declaration, witnessed by U.S. President Donald Trump and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, included Armenia's agreement to cooperate with the United States and third parties to create the "Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity," connecting Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave through Armenian territory.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed optimism about regional peace following meetings with both Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in China on Sept. 1.
"I believe that the South Caucasus will, Allah willing, achieve the peace it has longed for," Erdogan told reporters on his return flight from China.
"I saw that hope in (Mr.) Ilham during my bilateral meeting with (Mr.) Ilham Aliyev. The signatures at the White House naturally accelerated the Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization process."
"Azerbaijan and Armenia have largely overcome the obstacles on the path to peace and have reached the final point," he noted.
During his meeting with Pashinyan in Tianjin, China, Erdogan stated he was pleased with the progress in the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, emphasizing that Türkiye supports peace, stability and development in the region and will continue contributing to the process.
"Both Aliyev and Pashinyan are at the same point and looking in the same direction," Erdogan observed after his separate meetings with both leaders.
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