Armenia Says Preparing To Possibly Open Land Transit Route On Border With Turkey

April 6 2023

 (@ChaudhryMAli88) 

The Armenian authorities are preparing for a possible opening of the land border with Turkey for citizens of third countries in accordance with a prior agreement on the issue, Rustam Badasyan, the head of the Armenian State Revenue Committee, said on Thursday

YEREVAN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik – 06th April, 2023) The Armenian authorities are preparing for a possible opening of the land border with Turkey for citizens of third countries in accordance with a prior agreement on the issue, Rustam Badasyan, the head of the Armenian State Revenue Committee, said on Thursday.

In March, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said that Yerevan and Ankara had reaffirmed their readiness to open the land border for citizens of third countries and people with diplomatic passports by the start of the 2023 tourist season.

"You know about the adopted decision and ongoing talks as regards citizens of third countries and those who possess diplomatic passports. Together with other government departments we are now getting prepared so that the border checkpoint (with Turkey) could start working as soon as possible if such a decision is taken," Badasyan told journalists.

In July, the two countries agreed to open the land border for the movement of citizens of third countries and decided to initiate the necessary process on the matter, following a meeting of the special representatives of Turkey and Armenia on the process of normalization of relations in Vienna.

Turkey and Armenia currently do not have official diplomatic relations. The border between the two countries has been closed on Ankara's initiative since 1993. Tensions between the nations arose over a range of issues, including Turkey's support for Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue and its opposition to the process of international recognition of the 1915 Armenian genocide by the Ottoman Empire.