Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced on Tuesday that his country and Türkiye are poised to establish diplomatic ties soon. He spoke at the 2026 World Armenian Summit.
Pashinyan expressed confidence during his address that the future relationship will rely entirely on mutual recognition of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and borders. The state-run Armenpress news agency reported his remarks.
"Armenia and Türkiye have not yet established diplomatic relations, but I am confident that these relations will be established in the near future, based on the recognition of each other’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and borders," Pashinyan told the gathering.
He added that this outcome is a reality both sides must acknowledge. Diplomatic ties between the two neighbours currently do not exist, and their common land border has remained closed since 1993.
Ankara and Yerevan initiated a formal normalization process in late 2021 by appointing special envoys. They selected retired Turkish Ambassador Serdar Kilic and Armenian Parliament Deputy Speaker Ruben Rubinyan to lead the talks.
Momentum in the diplomatic track continued in September at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pashinyan held a meeting on the sidelines of the international gathering.
The two leaders reviewed progress on the normalization track during their New York talks. They also explored ways to strengthen trade and economic ties alongside regional transport links.
Erdogan extended an invitation for Pashinyan to participate in the COP31 Leaders’ Summit hosted by Türkiye, which Pashinyan accepted.
