Türkiye and Armenia should expect gradual improvements in relations following Turkish-Vice President Serdar Kılıç’s meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan on Monday (4 May), a regional expert has said.
Bekir İlhan, a researcher at the Türkiye Research Foundation, told AnewZ’s Bakhtiyar Khasanov on Wednesday that he expected piecemeal changes in relations between the two countries following the visit.
“In the short term, I don’t expect major or radical developments between the two countries. However, I do expect incremental and gradual progress in relations, because both countries need cooperation - economic and political,” he said.
Kılıç is the highest ranking Turkish official to visit Armenia in almost two decades since former Turkish President Abdullah Gül went to the country in 2008.
During the trip, Kılıç signed an agreement with his Armenian counterpart Ruben Rubinyan to jointly restore an ancient bridge located on the Türkiye-Armenia border at the Arpaçay River,
The Ani Bridge, which is believed to have been constructed in the 10th or 11th centuries at the peak of the Silk Road, has lay in ruins since the 14th century.
İlhan said that political normalisation between the two countries had driven the symbolic move to restore the bridge.
“The Ani Bridge is especially significant because it lies on the border between the two countries. As a bridge, it physically and symbolically connects geography and people,” he said.
“With its restoration, I expect increased cooperation, particularly people-to-people interaction. While political cooperation is essential, societal connections will be another major step forward.”
The Türkiye-Armenia normalisation process was launched in 2022 with the aim of restoring bilateral ties after decades of mutual animosity.
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