Second Armenian-Turkish meeting on restoration of Ani Bridge held in  Yerevan

ArmInfo. The second meeting of the Armenian-Turkish working group on the restoration of the historic Ani Bridge took place in Yerevan.

Following the meeting, the parties agreed to continue efforts aimed  at the speedy implementation of the provisions of the signed protocol  on the joint restoration of the bridge.

The protocol was signed in May 2026 during the 8th European Political  Community Summit in Yerevan.  As a reminder, the launch of the  normalization process between Armenia and Turkey was announced on  December 13, 2021, by then-Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.  He also emphasized that Ankara would act in coordination with  Azerbaijan regarding steps to normalize relations with Armenia.

The parties appointed special representatives of Turkey and Armenia  for the normalization process - Serdar K?l?c and Ruben Rubinyan.

As a result of the normalization process, a visa regime for holders  of service and special passports came into effect on January 1, 2026.  In April of this year, Ruben Rubinyan reported that Armenia had  already completed restoration work on its border crossing point with  Turkey (Margara - ed.), and Turkey had finally begun restoration work  on its side (Alijan border crossing point - ed.) this year.

And in May 2026, Ankara and Yerevan announced that they had completed  preparations for the commencement of direct trade between the two  countries.

It is worth noting that the Ani Bridge (10th-11th centuries) is a  historical architectural monument connecting the banks of the  Akhuryan River on the border between Armenia and Turkey.

The Armenian and Turkish authorities have agreed to jointly restore  the destroyed, centuries-old bridge located on the Silk Road as part  of the process of normalizing relations.