Longtime foes Türkiye and Armenia held another meeting of their joint working group, the Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday.
The meeting in the eastern Turkish province of Kars was a step toward normalization between the neighbors. The ministry said that the meeting focused on rehabilitation and resumption of the Kars-Gyumri railroad, and sides affirmed that immediate resumption was essential for improving regional transportation connections.
Armenia pursues normalization efforts with Azerbaijan and Türkiye, a process accelerated particularly after Azerbaijan’s victory over Karabakh, a territory occupied by Armenia for years.
Relations began to thaw after the 2020 Karabakh war, with both sides appointing special envoys to pursue normalization talks and negotiating the reopening of their land border. So far, limited agreements have allowed third-country citizens and diplomats to cross, but a full reopening remains elusive.
Renewing relations with Armenia is especially key for Türkiye’s ambitions to serve as part of an economic chain or corridor traversing the region. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan emphasized that in remarks last January. He said the Zangezur Corridor played an important part in normalizing the ties. The corridor is a proposed 43-kilometer (27-mile)route through Armenia that will connect Azerbaijan with its exclave, Nakhchivan. It is viewed as a key link between the three countries for seamless commercial ties.
