Turkish President Speaks on Border Opening with Armenia and the 'Zangezur Corridor'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has not ruled out the possibility of opening the border with Armenia, contingent upon a positive outcome in the peace process between Yerevan and Baku, reports RIA Novosti.

Journalists asked the Turkish leader whether Ankara would consider the possibility of opening the border between Turkey and Armenia once Yerevan and Baku sign a peace treaty and establish a peaceful atmosphere in the region.

“Why not? We have already discussed this matter with Pashinyan. We need to raise all the sails for the world. We hope that a lasting peace will be achieved between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the near future. We wholeheartedly support this peace. The opening of the Zangezur Corridor is a step that will conclude this peace agreement,” Erdoğan said on board the plane returning from Washington to Ankara.

He emphasized that these steps would have a “positive contribution to prosperity and peace in Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, and other countries in the region.”

“We want such decisions with positive aspects to be made without delay,” Erdoğan stated. He noted that positive signals are coming from the region.

“And we hope that these will be transformed into good news. It is important for other countries to adopt similar approaches and contribute to the peace process to establish sustainable peace as soon as possible,” the Turkish president remarked.

It is worth mentioning that as early as December 2021, Yerevan and Ankara appointed special representatives for negotiations on normalizing relations.

In July 2022, an agreement was reached in Vienna to ensure the possibility for citizens of third countries visiting Armenia and Turkey to cross the Armenian-Turkish land border, as well as to initiate direct air cargo transportation and the necessary processes for it.