Armenia’s border with Türkiye one step closer to opening as Margara checkpoint construction ends

Armenia has completed the construction of the Margara checkpoint on its border with Türkiye and is now fully prepared to open the crossing, Armenian Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure David Khudatyan announced at a briefing.

“We visited this border point with the Prime Minister of the republic. The construction works have been completed, and the checkpoint is ready to be opened. The issue of opening the border is political and does not depend solely on Armenia’s position,” Khudatyan stated, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

Earlier reports, citing a diplomatic source, suggested that the border checkpoint would officially open on March 1. However, Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan later dismissed these claims, stating that no confirmed date had been set.

The first discussions about launching the checkpoint took place in July 2024 during a meeting at the border between the special representatives of the two countries—Serdar Kilic of Türkiye and Ruben Rubinyan of Armenia. Since then, the Armenian government has invested nearly $2.5 million in renovating and re-equipping the facility in preparation for potential operations.

Efforts to normalize relations between Armenia and Türkiye have been ongoing. In July 2022, an agreement was reached in Vienna, Austria, allowing third-country nationals travelling between the two nations to cross the Armenian-Turkish land border. The same agreement also outlined steps to facilitate direct air cargo transportation, a process that remains under discussion.

While Armenia has completed its technical preparations for reopening the checkpoint, the final decision remains contingent on broader political negotiations between the two countries.

By Tamilla Hasanova