Nikol Pashinyan met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Turkish House in New York on September 23, on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. The meeting was held behind closed doors.
According to the Armenian government’s readout of the meeting, Pashinyan and Erdogan discussed the Armenia–Turkey “normalization” process and the implementation of agreements previously reached between the two countries.
The sides emphasized the importance of advancing “normalization” and expressed readiness to give new momentum to bilateral relations. They also discussed promoting trade and economic ties, strengthening contacts between Armenian and Turkish business communities, and continuing work toward the joint restoration of the historic Ani Bridge.
Armenia and Turkey have not had diplomatic relations since Armenia gained independence in 1991. Turkey closed its land border with Armenia in 1993. The current “normalization” process, led by special representatives from the two countries, began in late 2021.
As part of that process, Armenia and Turkey agreed in 2022 to open their land border to third-country nationals, although the agreement has yet to be implemented. The two countries have taken other steps toward establishing ties, including the resumption of direct flights and the lifting of restrictions on direct air cargo transportation.
Armenia and Turkey also signed a protocol in May on the joint restoration of the historic Ani Bridge.
Pashinyan and Erdogan previously met at the Turkish House on September 24, 2024, during the 79th UN General Assembly. During that meeting, Erdogan presented Pashinyan with a copy of his book, “A Fairer World Is Possible”.
Pashinyan is in New York for the UN General Assembly, where he has participated in the Concordia Annual Summit and is scheduled to address the General Assembly and hold meetings with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and other officials.
