Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have stressed the importance of the bilateral normalization process to consolidate peace in the region, according to their respective press offices.

The two leaders discussed the normalization process in a phone call Monday, held as part of a recent diplomatic rapprochement.

"Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Nikol Pashinyan emphasized the importance they attach to the bilateral normalization process between Türkiye and Armenia, which will also contribute to the strengthening of peace and stability in the region," a statement by the Turkish presidency said.

They also expressed hope that an agreement reached in early July would be implemented soon.

At that time, Turkish and Armenian special envoys agreed to open their joint land border – closed since 1993 – to citizens from third countries.

The Armenian leader wrote on Twitter: "We expect early implementation of agreements reached in the meeting of our Special Representatives on July 1.”

Erdoğan extended his greetings on the upcoming Vardavar Festival, while the Armenian prime minister extended his greetings on the Qurban Bayram, also known as Eid al-Adha.

The relationship between the neighboring countries is strained by several issues, among them the 1915 events during World War I and the recent Nagorno-Karabakh war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, a major Turkish ally.

But in December, the two countries appointed special envoys to help normalize relations – a year after Armenia lost to Azerbaijan a war for control of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Azerbaijan used the help of Turkish combat drones to recapture most of the contested territory that had been under ethnic Armenians' control since the 1990s.

In February, Turkey and Armenia resumed their first commercial flights in two years. The goal is the complete normalization of relations.