Türkiye has completed formal preparations to begin direct commercial activity with Armenia, a Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday, marking another step in the slow but steady normalisation of ties between the two neighbours.
Preparations to begin direct bilateral trade were finalised on Monday, 11 May, according to Oncu Keçeli, spokesman for the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
He added, however, that technical and bureaucratic procedures aimed at reopening the two countries’ shared border, which has been closed since the 1990s, were still under way.
According to a ministry statement, the new arrangement means that goods exported from Türkiye to Armenia via third countries, or vice versa, can list their final destination or country of origin as either “Turkey” or “Armenia”.
In a further sign of warming bilateral ties, Ankara also lifted several customs restrictions previously imposed on Armenia on Wednesday.
Ani Badalyan, spokeswoman for the Armenian Foreign Ministry, welcomed the developments.
“This decision is significant for expanding trade and business ties between the two countries, promoting economic connectivity in the region, and ensuring peace and prosperity,” she said in remarks to Armenia’s state press.
The measures mark the latest steps in the Türkiye-Armenia normalisation process, which has been gaining momentum, slowly but steadily, since 2022.
Although Türkiye recognised Armenia following its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the two countries have never established formal diplomatic relations.
In 1993, Türkiye unilaterally closed its border with Armenia during the First Karabakh War between Armenia and Azerbaijan, in which Türkiye supported Azerbaijan.
Following the Second Karabakh War in 2020, Ankara and Yerevan began taking steps to normalise relations after decades of mutual animosity.
Since then, direct flights between the two countries have resumed, while their shared border has been opened to third-country nationals and holders of diplomatic passports.
Progress, however, remains cautious, partly because Türkiye-Armenia normalisation is closely linked to the parallel peace process between longstanding rivals Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Read more:
U.S. President Donald Trump said he does not think he will need China's help to end the war with Iran as he le...
Britain will introduce new legislation aimed at strengthening ties with the European Union as Prime Minister Keir Starmer seeks to rebuild economic...
Türkiye has completed formal preparations to begin direct commercial activity w...
A new trilateral energy partnership involving Uzbekneftegaz, Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR and BP has been announced during Uzbekistan...
U.S. President Donald Trump’s three-day summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping ...
A new trilateral energy partnership involving Uzbekneftegaz, Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR and BP has been announced during Uzbekistan Energy Week 2026 in Tashkent.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s three-day summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, beginning on Wednesday (13 May), comes as rivalry between the two superpowers reaches new heights, a China analyst has said.
Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has met Norway’s newly appointed special envoy for Afghanistan, Bjørn Hansen, to discuss political and regional issues, the Foreign Ministry said.
TUI has reported sustained demand for holidays despite the Iran war, as the world’s biggest travel company posted lower-than-expected quarterly losses and said bookings for the second half of the year remained strong.
Kuwait arrested four members of an IRGC-linked group as they tried to enter the country by sea, the Gulf state's KUNA news agency reported on Tuesday. Meanwhile, a senior IRGC officer said Iran had expanded its definition of the Strait of Hormuz to include a far wider area.
Biological samples from an Italian man were transferred to a specialist hospital for testing on Tuesday, after he was suspected of contracting hantavirus. Meanwhile, World Health Organization boss Tedros Ghebreyesus said there were “no sign” of a larger outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise.
Exclusive flight-tracking material obtained by AnewZ has raised new questions about French military aircraft movements linked to President Emmanuel Macron’s recent diplomacy with Armenia and the wider scope of France’s defence cooperation with Yerevan.
Just one week after a similar move by Australia, Greece announced that it will ban access to social media for children under the age of 15 from January 1, 2027, as governments around the world weigh tougher rules amid growing concerns over mental health, safety and screen addiction.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he does not think he will need China's help to end the war with Iran as he left for a high-stakes summit in Beijing on Tuesday, as hopes for a lasting peace deal dwindled and Tehran tightened its grip over the Strait of Hormuz.
A new trilateral energy partnership involving Uzbekneftegaz, Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR and BP has been announced during Uzbekistan Energy Week 2026 in Tashkent.
The number of dead Caspian seals discovered along Kazakhstan’s section of the Caspian Sea continues to rise, with the latest findings reported near the Karazhanbas and Buzachi oilfields in the Mangystau region.
This is the third and final article in AnewZ’s series examining the fight for access to treatment for children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy in Georgia, and the irreversible human cost of delay.
Former Georgia rugby captain Merab Sharikadze has been banned for 11 years after an anti-doping probe uncovered sample swapping in the national team. Several other players and the Georgian Rugby Union were also sanctioned
AnewZ has premiered its new investigative documentary, Shadow of the Cross, examining the power, history and contested role of one of the world’s most recognised humanitarian symbols.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment