Armenia has agreed with Turkey on the evaluation of requirements for crossing the border via the Gyumri-Kars railway
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan spoke about the potential operation of the Gyumri-Kars railway at the 49th meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization.
In his speech, Mirzoyan noted that “Armenia and Turkey have already agreed to jointly assess the technical requirements for crossing the border via the Gyumri-Kars railway.”
At the same time, we have proposed to Azerbaijan ways to reactivate railway infrastructure, simplify border crossing and customs procedures, and ensure a couple of additional security mechanisms, –Mirzoyan added.
Such a statement was also made by Mirzoyan on October 18 of this year during a regional “3+3” format meeting in Istanbul. According to the Foreign Minister, “The operation of the Gyumri-Kars railway between Armenia and Turkey, along with the railway connection between Armenia and Azerbaijan, will immediately ensure an efficient link between the Persian Gulf, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea.”
The Armenian section of the railway is approximately 21 km long. In 2022, the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure noted that preliminary estimates place the cost of restoration work at around $16.8 million.
The land border between Armenia and Turkey has been closed since 1993. However, Armenian-Turkish relations have shown progress in recent years. Negotiations have begun on the regulation of the border between the two countries. Armenia’s representative, Ruben Rubinyan, and Serdar Kılıç have held several meetings. During a summer meeting, the parties emphasized their commitment to continue the normalization process without any preconditions.
In addition, Ararat Mirzoyan previously emphasized that Armenia has already completed the construction and technical modernization of the Margara border crossing point located on the border with Turkey. During the fourth meeting held in Vienna in July 2022, the parties agreed to open the land border for citizens of third countries within the shortest possible time. However, two years after the agreement, even the most recent meeting of the envoys on July 30 did not provide an answer as to when this agreement would be implemented.
Ruben Rubinyan stated as early as July 2022 that the success of the Armenian-Turkish negotiation process depends on Ankara’s political will and that Armenia has always been constructive in its approach.