Serdar Kılıç, a former ambassador who serves as Türkiye’s special representative for normalizing ties with Armenia, hailed the opening of the Akhalkalaki-Kars railway line to Armenia's imports and exports.

In a social media post on Sunday, Kılıç said it was a new step in trade relations between the two neighboring countries.

He was referring to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's earlier announcement that the railway line had been opened to Armenia's foreign trade.

Kılıç described the development as a new step in direct trade within the framework of the Türkiye-Armenia normalization process.

"I hope this new step, which will also improve quadruple cooperation among Türkiye, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia and make a significant contribution to regional peace and stability, will be beneficial for all these countries," Kılıç said.

The Armenian premier described the move as a major development for Armenia's economy and thanked partners in Türkiye and Georgia for their cooperation.

Pashinyan added that Armenia now has railway access to Russia through Georgia and Azerbaijan, and to China through Russia and Kazakhstan. He said that the railway route passing through Türkiye and Georgia would strengthen Armenia's connection with the European Union, while rail links with Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Iran were also expected to be established in the near future.

Türkiye and Armenia have signed a deal for the joint restoration of the ancient Ani Bridge on the border during a visit earlier this month by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz to Yerevan. Yılmaz was the highest-ranking official since former President Abdullah Gül to visit Armenia. His visit is more significant, though, as Yerevan and Ankara explore more ways to further cooperation and eventually, fully normalize their relations.

Since 2020, Türkiye and Armenia have held a string of talks at various levels to explore the way forward in relations. Most recently, delegations from the two sides met in Kars of eastern Türkiye to discuss the revival of a railway between the two neighbors. Earlier, direct passenger and cargo flights were launched mutually. Ankara and Yerevan also approved the opening of the Alican border crossing to citizens of third countries and diplomatic passport holders. Before Yılmaz’s visit, Pashinyan met President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last June in Istanbul.