VP Yılmaz: Türkiye aims to contribute to stability in South Caucasus

Türkiye’s Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz said Ankara and Yerevan had made “tangible progress” in their normalisation process following talks with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan, on the sidelines of the 8th European Political Community Summit.

Yılmaz, who represented President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the gathering in Yerevan, described the meeting on X as “comprehensive and productive”, noting that the discussions covered a broad review of bilateral relations alongside practical cooperation in transport, customs, energy, digital infrastructure and wider regional connectivity.

He said both sides welcomed progress achieved through “mutually constructive steps” in the ongoing normalisation process between Türkiye and Armenia.

A key outcome of the talks was a focus on symbolic and practical projects intended to build confidence, including the planned restoration of the historic Ani Bridge, formalised through a memorandum of understanding signed during the visit.

“We believe that symbolic and concrete areas of cooperation… will also contribute to a lasting peace and climate of trust,” Yılmaz said on X.

He added that Türkiye would continue to pursue what he called a “determined approach” centred on regional peace, dialogue and stability, with an emphasis on advancing normalisation in the South Caucasus, expanding economic cooperation and strengthening people-to-people contacts.

Yılmaz also thanked Pashinyan for his hospitality, expressing hope that the meeting would further support the diplomatic process between the two countries.

By Aghakazim Guliyev