Turkey is ready to open its border checkpoints with Armenia but continues to condition the move on the normalization of relations between Yerevan and Baku, Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said on Tuesday.
“Should Armenia and Azerbaijan sign a final peace treaty, the opening of the Armenia-Turkey border will not take long,” Uraloğlu told reporters on the sidelines of the COP31 climate conference in Antalya.
He added that Turkey had completed all necessary technical work on its side of the border, covering both railway and highway checkpoints.
Although Turkey recognized Armenia’s independence in 1991 and has no territorial claims against it, the two countries have no diplomatic relations. Their land border has been closed since 1993, with Ankara repeatedly saying it would only reopen after Armenia and Azerbaijan reach a peace agreement.
The current normalization process between Armenia and Turkey began in late 2021. The two sides have since agreed to open the border to citizens of third countries, but the arrangement has yet to be implemented.
Last week, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Yerevan and Ankara could establish diplomatic relations “soon.”
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