The fourth meeting of envoys from Turkey and Armenia for normalization of ties is set for July 1, the foreign ministries of both countries confirmed Tuesday.
"The fourth meeting of the Special Representatives for the normalization process between Turkey and Armenia, Ambassador Serdar Kılıç and Deputy Speaker Ruben Rubinyan will take place in Vienna on July 1, 2022," the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced in a statement.
A spokesperson for Armenia's foreign ministry also confirmed the development in a tweet.
Kılıç was named as Turkey's special envoy to discuss steps toward normalization with neighboring Armenia on Dec. 15, 2021. Three days later, Armenia appointed its own special representative Rubinyan.
The first round of talks was held in Moscow on Jan. 14, where both parties agreed to continue negotiations without any preconditions, according to a statement released after the meeting.
The Turkish and Armenian envoys met for the second time in Vienna on Feb. 24.
Also, a historic bilateral meeting took place between the foreign ministers of Turkey and Armenia on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on March 12.
As part of the efforts, Turkey and Armenia have also resumed commercial flights as of Feb. 2 after a two-year hiatus.
The special envoys appointed to manage the process for restoration of diplomatic ties between Turkey and Armenia have reaffirmed their goal of achieving full normalization, the Foreign Ministry said after their last meeting.
"The special representatives reaffirmed the declared goal of achieving full normalization between their respective countries through this process," the ministry said in a statement following the third meeting of Turkish and Armenian envoys in the Austrian capital Vienna.
The envoys discussed the possible steps that can be taken for the tangible progress in normalization, the statement added.
Kılıç and Rubinyan "reiterated their agreement to continue the process without preconditions," it added.
Despite being neighbors, Turkey and Armenia have seen many difficulties in their diplomatic relations since the latter's declaration of independence in 1991. The two countries have long been divided by a range of issues – from Armenia’s refusal to recognize their shared border to its occupation of Karabakh and the 1915 events between the Ottoman Empire and Armenians.
The two countries have had no diplomatic or commercial ties since the 1990s. The talks last month were the first attempt to restore links since a 2009 peace accord that was never ratified.
Bilateral relations, however, have taken a new shape and appear to be heading toward normalization recently. Following the war over Karabakh, in which Turkey backed Azerbaijan against Armenia, Turkish-Armenian relations entered a new phase.
Azerbaijan also welcomes the talks between Turkey and Armenia for the normalization of their ties.
