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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Thursday he believes the border with Türkiye could be opened and that Yerevan is conducting direct negotiations with Ankara.
Speaking to reporters in Yerevan, Pashinyan said Armenia’s borders could open not only with Türkiye but also through other channels.
“I believe the Armenia-Türkiye border will open,” he said.
Pashinyan added that Armenia is ready to simplify procedures at all border crossings, including those with Azerbaijan.
On defense spending, Pashinyan said the government does not plan to significantly increase the 2026 state budget for the military.
He said his team considers the decision reasonable and will continue to review it based on short, medium and long-term developments.
Türkiye and Armenia’s land border has been closed since 1993, when Ankara sealed it in response to Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijan’s Kelbajar region.
Since then, the border has remained shut, and the two countries have not established formal diplomatic relations.
Normalization efforts
There have been several attempts to normalize ties:
Regional dynamics
Türkiye evaluates its relationship with Armenia within the framework of its strategic alliance with Azerbaijan, linking a permanent border opening to a lasting peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The 2025 peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, signed in Washington, may create a new opportunity for Türkiye–Armenia relations, potentially enabling cross-border transport and regional connectivity projects.
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