Ankara, Yerevan agree to speed up opening overland communication

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said he had reached agreements with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan to speed up the process of preparing the infrastructure for the opening of land communication between the two countries.

Cavusoglu made the remarks at a joint press conference with Mirzoyan, which was then broadcast on the Turkish foreign minister’s Twitter account, Caliber.Az reports.

"Both sides have the results of analysis and inspections of roads and bridges near the border crossings. The work is ongoing and there are steps that we will take regarding the roads leading to the border checkpoints. We agreed today to speed up these measures," Cavusoglu said.

He recalled that this route is a historical "silk road" and "its restoration will be important".

For his part, Mirzoyan said that Yerevan was ready for the full normalisation of relations with Ankara and the restoration of peace between the countries, according to Armenian media.

The Armenian minister also reiterated Armenia's readiness and aspiration to establish peace in the region, to fully settle relations with Türkiye, establish diplomatic relations and fully open the border,

"I would like to report that we have discussed certain details in this process. We have an agreement to jointly restore the Ani bridge, as well as to take care of the relevant infrastructure ahead of the full opening of the border," Mirzoyan added.