Ararat Mirzoyan (AA Photo)
The Armenian and Turkish business community will convene for a forum in Yerevan in October, Armenian top diplomat Ararat Mirzoyan has announced.
Speaking to the media on Aug. 31, Mirzoyan said a recent meeting between Armenian and Turkish business representatives in the Turkish eastern province of Kars was “very successful,” with an Armenian business delegation taking part.
“The Turkish side has proposed holding a reciprocal business forum in Armenia. We are planning it very quickly, and it will take place tentatively in October,” he said.
Mirzoyan also said both countries were ready to reopen their shared border, describing the move as a necessity of the times.
“We believe, both before and now, that both our countries are ready for the border to open and function. This is in demand; it is a requirement of the times,” he said.
His remarks came after senior Armenian Foreign Ministry officials and heads of Armenian diplomatic missions abroad visited the Margara border crossing with Türkiye on Aug. 30.
The visit was held as part of an annual workshop for the Armenian diplomatic service’s leadership in Gyumri and was led by Mirzoyan.
At the Margara crossing, State Revenue Committee Chairman Eduard Hakobyan briefed the delegation on renovation and modernization work at the checkpoint, saying it was ready to become operational.
Türkiye and Armenia have been negotiating for years to normalize relations and reopen their land border. The Margara crossing is expected to serve as one of the main border points between the two countries.
The two countries have had no diplomatic relations since 1991, while their shared border has been closed since 1993 amid tensions over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and disputes over the events of 1915.
The normalization process gained momentum in late 2021 with the appointment of special envoys. Since then, the two sides have taken several confidence-building steps, including launching direct cargo
flights, discussing opening the land border to third-country nationals and diplomats, and advancing projects such as the Gyumri-Kars railway and the restoration of the historic Ani Bridge.
