The official opening of the Turkish-Armenian border is not currently being discussed, a Turkish diplomatic source told RIA Novosti, while confirming that the normalization process between the two countries continues.
“At the moment, we are talking about the normalization of relations, not the physical opening of the border. The issue will depend on how the process develops – there are no concrete deadlines yet,” the source said.
Turkey and Armenia have had no diplomatic relations since 1991, and their land border has remained closed since 1993, following Ankara’s decision in response to the first Karabakh war.
Efforts to rebuild ties resumed in December 2021, when both sides appointed special envoys for normalization. The following March, at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, the foreign ministers of the two countries reaffirmed their readiness to proceed without preconditions – aiming eventually to open borders and establish full diplomatic relations.
Since then, several rounds of talks have been held. In September 2024, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met at the “Turkish House” in New York, confirming their intent to give fresh momentum to the dialogue.
A year later, Turkish envoy Serdar Kılıç visited Armenia, meeting his counterpart, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ruben Rubinyan, at the Margara border crossing. During their sixth round of talks, the sides discussed accelerating previously agreed steps, including the eventual opening of the border for limited crossings.
For now, Ankara’s position remains cautious: normalization first, borders later.
