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.
A Russian strike on a gas station in Kyiv has killed two people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschk...
Turkic states are considering the creation of a new law enforcement agency, TURKPOL, as members of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) step up ...
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Daily Brief. Here are the top stories for the 11th of September, covering the latest developments about heal...
Four people were killed, including a child, in Ukrainian strikes on the Russian port city of Novorossiysk overnight, according to the governor of the Krasnodar region. Ukraine's drone forces commander, Robert Brovdi, said Russian military ships were destroyed in the attacks.
Overnight Iranian strikes on an air base in Jordan damaged multiple U.S. aircraft and left one without a wing, American media reported. Meanwhile, explosions were heard across parts of southern Iran according to local media reports.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Wednesday they attacked two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, calling the strikes a response to a U.S. attack on five Iranian tankers.
Ukrainian forces struck a Russian oil refinery in Siberia and a seaport in Dagestan in the past 24 hours, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. He will meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday to discuss air defences for Ukraine over winter.
Iran said it destroyed a U.S. naval drone at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, while Washington announced sanctions targeting Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq.
Turkic states are considering the creation of a new law enforcement agency, TURKPOL, as members of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) step up security cooperation.
Iran said it destroyed a U.S. naval drone at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, while Washington announced sanctions targeting Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq.
Overnight Iranian strikes on an air base in Jordan damaged multiple U.S. aircraft and left one without a wing, American media reported. Meanwhile, explosions were heard across parts of southern Iran according to local media reports.
Iran has rejected as “irrelevant” a UN nuclear watchdog resolution referring its nuclear file to the UN Security Council, arguing that U.S. and Israeli strikes on sites under verification were the main reason inspections were halted.
Georgia’s busiest sea gateway has reached its capacity limit, adding urgency to plans for a major expansion of Poti port as the country seeks to strengthen its role in the Middle Corridor trade route between Asia and Europe.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment