Prospects for reopening Armenia-Turkey border discussed in Ankara 

ArmInfo. The opening of the Eastern Gate border crossing located in the Akyaka district of Kars, the consequences of this process for the residents of Kars and the possible socio-economic consequences of the opening of the gate for the region were discussed at a meeting in Ankara organized by the  Special Representative of Turkey for the Normalization Process with  Armenia, Ambassador Serdar Kilic.

The meeting was also attended by Deputy Director General of the  Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Caucasus and Central Asia Aysa  Uzer, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Arif Ekmekci  and Onder Akgun, President of the Kars Chamber of Commerce and  Industry Kadir Bozan, Chairman of the Assembly of the Chamber of  Commerce and Industry Idris Asay and members of the Board.

As BHF reports, Kilic outlined the essence of the process in detail  and noted the importance of this step for the region and the country.

In turn, the President of the Kars Chamber of Commerce and Industry  noted that they are closely following the process of normalization of  relations between Azerbaijan, Turkey and Armenia and believe that the  opening of the Eastern Gate border crossing after the resolution of  problems and the normalization of relations will make a great  contribution to the economic and social development of not only Kars,  but also the residents of the region. "The opening of the border gate  will not only increase the volume of trade in Kars, but will also  increase employment in the region and give a powerful impetus to our  economy. This important event will also strengthen the regional ties  of Kars and take international cooperation to a new level," he said.

Stating that the Kars Chamber of Commerce and Industry has always  been a supporter of such steps that will promote regional cooperation  and economic development, Bozan emphasized his belief that the  meeting will pave an important way for the future of Kars.

On July 30, 2024, the special representatives of Turkey and Armenia  for the normalization process, Serdar Kilic and Ruben Rubinyan, held  the 5th round of talks on the Turkish-Armenian border, after a  two-year break. The meeting took place on the Armenian side in the  morning and on the Turkish side in the afternoon.

The 4th round of talks took place on July 1, 2022 in Vienna. At that  time, the parties agreed to ensure the possibility of crossing the  Armenian-Turkish land border for third-country citizens visiting  Armenia and Turkey, respectively, as soon as possible, and decided to  begin the necessary processes in this direction.

They also agreed to begin direct air transportation of goods between  Armenia and Turkey as soon as possible and decided to begin the  necessary processes in this direction. Finally, the parties once  again emphasized their agreement to continue the normalization  process without preconditions.

The launch of the normalization process was announced on December 13,  2021 by then Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. He emphasized  that Ankara would act in coordination with Azerbaijan regarding steps  to normalize relations with Armenia.

We add that on March 1, 2024, Turkey's Special Representative for the  Normalization of Relations with Armenia Serdar Kilic, during his  speech at the panel "Peace, Development and Connections in the South  Caucasus" held within the framework of the Diplomatic Forum in  Antalya, suggested that Rubinyan hold meetings either in Ankara or  Yerevan.

They also agreed to launch direct air cargo transportation between  Armenia and Turkey as soon as possible and decided to begin the  necessary processes in this direction. Finally, the parties once  again emphasized their agreement to continue the normalization  process without preconditions.