Armenia and Turkey want to open borders that have been closed for 30 years

According to information from Yerevan, Armenia and Turkey want to open their borders again permanently for the first time in 30 years – but initially only for third-country nationals and diplomats. Despite their conflict, Yerevan and Ankara agreed to allow border traffic by land again until the start of the tourism season, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirsoyan announced on Friday.

There is already air traffic between Armenia and Turkey. Turkey first opened the border in February when Armenia sent humanitarian aid transports and workers following the earthquake in the country.

Turkey unilaterally closed the land border in 1993 out of solidarity with its sister state, Azerbaijan. This meant serious economic problems for Armenia, which is still fighting a bloody conflict with Azerbaijan over the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The relationship between Ankara and Yerevan is heavily strained. However, the two neighbors have maintained diplomatic contacts again since the end of 2021. Relations between the two countries are also strained because of the massacre of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire more than 100 years ago. Germany classified the crimes as genocide.