Turkey and Armenia Complete Preparations for Mutual Trade Relations

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the completion of the formal steps necessary to launch direct trade operations between Ankara and Yerevan, part of the process of establishing bilateral relations that began in 2022.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry clarified that all bureaucratic formalities have been completed. Work continues on the technical and administrative aspects of opening the common border between the countries.

According to the new regulations, products shipped from Turkey to Armenia through intermediary countries or arriving via the return route can now be designated as "Armenia/Turkey" as the final destination or country of origin. Ankara emphasized its commitment to further strengthening economic ties and regional cooperation in the South Caucasus. The Armenian Foreign Ministry officially welcomed Ankara's decision.

As a reminder, Armenia and Turkey have not had diplomatic relations since 1991, and the land border has been closed by Turkey since 1993. However, direct cargo flights between the countries were launched in 2023. In September 2024, the leaders of Armenia and Turkey, Nikol Pashinyan and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, confirmed their intention to continue the process of normalizing relations.

In 2025, the foreign ministers held talks, and their special representatives reached an agreement to accelerate the implementation of plans to open the land border to third-country nationals and holders of diplomatic passports, as well as to develop joint projects in transport, energy, and aviation.

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