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Türkiye will consider reopening its long-closed border with Armenia only if specific political and regional conditions are met, Türkiye's Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Birol Akgun, said in an interview with APA News Agency.
Akgun recalled that the Türkiye-Armenia border has been closed since 1993, citing Armenia's occupation of Azerbaijani territories at the time.
“The border closure is directly linked to the conflict over Azerbaijani lands. The normalization tracks between Armenia-Azerbaijan and Türkiye-Armenia must be treated together,” the envoy stated.
According to Akgun, two key steps are needed for progress:
“A permanent peace agreement must be signed or initiated between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the conditions related to the Zangezur Corridor must be fulfilled. Only then, through consultations with Baku, can Türkiye open the border at an appropriate time.”
Noting that Armenia has no land access to its eastern or western neighbors, Akgun emphasized the potential benefits: “Everyone would benefit from peace, but Armenia would gain the most. Türkiye supports an accelerated normalization process,” he said.
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