Armenian Vice Speaker of Parliament Ruben Rubinyan, who also serves as Armenia’s special envoy for the normalization of relations with Turkey, reaffirmed on Monday that Yerevan is prepared to open the border and establish diplomatic relations with Ankara “as soon as tomorrow,” if political will exists on the Turkish side.
Rubinyan is scheduled to meet his Turkish counterpart, Serdar K?l?ç, in Armenia in the coming days. While he did not disclose the exact date or location of the talks, he stressed that the agenda will cover the entire spectrum of normalization issues. According to the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, Serdar K?l?ç will arrive in Armenia via land, through the ‘Alican’/‘Marmara’ border crossing.
“The process is about opening the Armenia–Turkey border and establishing diplomatic relations. That is the core of our discussions,” Rubinyan told journalists. He added that the talks will review both the steps already taken and those still underway, such as technical discussions on restoring the Kars–Gyumri railway line and proposals to restore the historic Ani bridge.
The renewed efforts follow a September 1 meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in China. During the meeting, Erdo?an expressed his satisfaction with the progress achieved in the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Washington.
Asked whether the Washington agreements and the Washington Declaration signed recently between Armenia and Azerbaijan could serve as an impetus for progress with Turkey, Rubinyan said: “These are very important developments. They will have a positive impact not only on regional processes but also beyond the region. In this sense, we are optimistic that concrete steps will follow.”
Rubinyan confirmed that the earlier agreement to allow third-country nationals and holders of diplomatic passports to cross the Armenia-Turkey border has not yet been implemented. “Whether it was due to us or not, it still hasn’t been carried out. But we hope it will be realized,” he said.
Responding to repeated questions about Turkey’s hesitation, Rubinyan emphasized that Yerevan has not created any obstacles. “Armenia sees no reason why Turkey should hesitate to open the border and establish diplomatic relations. From the Armenian side, there is no hesitation. We are ready to have open borders and diplomatic relations immediately, even tomorrow. By the way, recently we established diplomatic relations with Pakistan, and this was also a very significant development. I hope we will take such a step with Turkey as well,” he said.
Rubinyan said the process can be implemented very quickly in case of having political will. “We definitely have that will, and I am sure it is possible to achieve big results in a short period of time,” he said.
Rubinyan reiterated that Armenia continues the normalization process with Turkey without any preconditions. “We’ve numerously said that this process is taking place without preconditions. We don’t have any preconditions and we believe it is possible to have an open border and diplomatic relations very quickly. We will work in this direction,” he added.
Armenia and Turkey began normalization talks in 2021, appointing special envoys to explore reconciliation and the opening of the border.
The upcoming meeting will be the sixth since the dialogue started. The last meeting took place on July 30, 2024, when the special representatives, Rubinyan and K?l?ç, held their fifth meeting at the Margara–Alican border crossing.
