Armenian, Turkish envoys for normalization likely to hold their 7th  meeting in Turkiye 

ArmInfo. The next, seventh meeting of special representatives of Armenia and Turkey for the normalization of bilateral relations will most likely be held in  Turkey. This was stated in an interview with the Public Television of  the Republic of Armenia by the special representative of Armenia,  Vice-Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia  Ruben Rubinyan.

According to him, the dates and place of the new meeting have not yet  been determined. Rubinyan emphasized that for the first time, the  regular, sixth meeting of special representatives was held on the  territory of a country participating in the negotiations, in this  case, in Yerevan. Before that, they were held either on the  territories of third countries, and one meeting took place on the  border of the two states. "This fact alone is symbolic, which can be  assessed as a positive fact. The next meeting will most likely be  held in Turkey. The dates of this meeting have not yet been  specified," the Vice-Speaker of the National Assembly said. He noted  that the special representatives - Ruben Rubinyan and Ambassador  Serdar K?l?c confirmed the previously agreed intentions to advance  the process of full normalization of relations between the countries.  They agreed to accelerate the process of implementing the agreement  on crossing the land border by third-country nationals and persons  with diplomatic passports, reached at the meeting on July 1, 2022, to  conduct the necessary technical studies for the restoration and  operation of the Gyumri- Kars railway and power line, and to increase  the number of flights between the two countries.

Speaking about the discussion of the technical aspects of the joint  restoration of the historical Ani Bridge, the Deputy Speaker noted  that the work "on the ground" will begin soon after the completion of  the technical stage and the stage of document preparation. From  Rubinyan's point of view, the restoration of this border bridge,  located on the territory of both Armenia and Turkey, is important,  among other things, from the point of view of tourism development.  According to the Deputy Speaker, during the meeting, an agreement was  also reached on providing a mutual opportunity for a limited number  of students to study in Armenia and Turkey within the framework of a  scholarship program. The parties also agreed to expand the number of  airlines operating flights between Armenian and Turkish cities  starting in the summer of 2026.  "Currently, one Turkish company  operates regular flights between Yerevan and Istanbul, and there was  one Armenian company flying on the Yerevan-Istanbul route. There are  ideas to increase the number of airlines," Rubinyan said, adding that  flights to other Turkish cities are also planned, as well as the  inclusion of the Armenian airport in Gyumri in the routes. As for the  restoration of the Gyumri-Kars power line, as the vice speaker of the  National Assembly noted, this will allow Armenia to sell electricity  to Turkey, and the restart of the Gyumri-Kars railway will contribute  to the lifting of the blockade of Armenia and the increase in its  trade turnover.