As part of the "3+3" regional platform meeting in Istanbul, an important bilateral discussion took place between Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan, according to Armenia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The central topic of the talks was the bilateral agenda and the continuation of dialogue aimed at fully normalizing relations between Armenia and Turkey.
Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized the importance of implementing the agreements reached during previous negotiations. Additionally, the ministers exchanged views on regional developments and trends.
The process of normalizing Armenian-Turkish relations began at the start of 2022. The first meeting of the special representatives of Armenia and Turkey took place on January 14 in Moscow. Subsequently, the envoys held three more meetings in Vienna.
On July 1, 2022, in Vienna, Rubinyan and Kılıç agreed to facilitate the crossing of the Armenian-Turkish land border as soon as possible for third-country nationals and holders of diplomatic passports. However, these agreements have not yet been implemented.
Despite the closed border and the absence of diplomatic relations, trade between the two countries has almost never ceased in the post-Soviet period. According to the Statistical Committee of Armenia, in January-May of this year, the trade turnover between Armenia and Turkey amounted to over $131 million. Of this amount, only $225,000 accounted for Armenian exports to Turkey, while the rest represented imports of Turkish goods to Armenia.
The trade figures for the five months are only $2 million higher than the same period in 2023.
