Turkish vice president to attend European summit in Yerevan

ANKARA

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz will travel to Yerevan to attend the European Political Community Summit on May 4, marking what is expected to be the first visit to Armenia at this level from Ankara.

Yılmaz will represent Türkiye at the 8th European Political Community Summit, to be held on May 4 in Armenia’s capital Yerevan under the theme “Building the Future: Unity and Stability in Europe.”

The meeting will focus on enhancing cooperation and coordination to strengthen democratic resilience, improve connectivity, and reinforce economic and energy security. Regional developments and global challenges are also expected to be high on the agenda.

His visit will constitute the first-ever high-level visit from Türkiye to Armenia. Local media previously reported that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was invited to the event.

The summit will be co-chaired by European Council President Antonio Costa and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

In addition to the 27 EU member states, heads of state and government from other European countries and Canada were invited. The next meeting of the forum is scheduled to take place in Ireland in November.

The invitation comes amid ongoing efforts to normalize relations between Türkiye and Armenia. The two countries recently held a joint working group meeting in the eastern Turkish province of Kars on April 28 on the rehabilitation and operationalization of the Kars–Gyumri railway, as part of the normalization process, according to Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry.

Recent diplomatic momentum has also included limited steps toward border and aviation openings, including an agreement allowing third-country nationals and diplomatic passport holders to cross via the Alican–Margara border gate, as well as the launch of direct Istanbul–Yerevan flights operated by Turkish Airlines.