Deputy Foreign Minister says Armenia ready to open border with Turkey

YEREVAN, October 17. /ARKA/. Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan said Monday that Armenia was ready to open the border with Turkey.

"We are ready to open the border with Turkey both for the citizens of third countries and in general. The ball is in the Turkish court now," Kostanyan said.

Turkey shut down its border with Armenia in 1993, in a show of solidarity with Azerbaijan , which was locked in a conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region

In December 2021, Armenia and Turkey appointed special envoys for normalization of their relations.

In March , 2022, Armenian and Turkish Foreign Ministers met on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum to discuss  normalization of relations, and both sides reaffirmed their readiness to advance the process without preconditions.

On July 1, 2022, the envoys agreed to open the border for the citizens of the third countries visiting Armenia and Turkey respectively. An agreement was also reached to start the direct air transportation of goods between Armenia and Turkey as soon as possible.

In February 2023 Armenia sent two convoys of trucks with food, medicine and other relief supplies to Turkey's quake-stricken regions, which crossed into Turkey through the border gate that was opened for the first time since 1993..-0-