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A joint Armenian-Turkish working group has held a meeting dedicated to the restoration and commissioning of the Gyumri–Kars railway line. The US Embassy described the meeting as a “historic step towards a peaceful and prosperous South Caucasus.”
On April 28, the working group held what appeared to be its inaugural meeting in the Turkish city of Kars.
Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the meeting took place in accordance with agreements reached within the framework of the normalization process between Armenia and Turkey.
“The parties emphasized the importance of the early commissioning of the Gyumri–Kars railway in the context of strengthening regional transport links,” the statement said.
“The restoration of this critical transport corridor between Armenia and Turkey is an important step towards expanding regional transport accessibility and strengthening stability in the region,” the US Embassy noted in its prompt commentary following the meeting.
In its statement, the embassy also referred to the Armenia–Azerbaijan–US summit held in Washington in August 2025, noting that it “paved the way for such landmark events.”
Armenia requests Russia to urgently restore the railway near Nakhchivan and Turkey. The agreement to assess the technical requirements necessary to ensure the operation of the Akhurik–Akyaka railway border crossing was reached in July 2024 during a meeting between the Armenian and Turkish special envoys for the normalization process, Ruben Rubinyan and Serdar Kılıç, at the Margara–Alican crossing on the border between the two countries.
At that time, the parties also agreed to “simplify mutual visa procedures for holders of diplomatic and service passports,” which came into force on January 1, 2026.
Following the agreements on the railway, “representatives of the relevant agencies of the two countries” held a meeting at the Akhurik–Akyaka border crossing between Armenia and Turkey, as well as in the city of Gyumri in Armenia in November 2025.
This marked the second round of technical discussions “aimed at restoring and resuming the operation of the Gyumri–Kars railway line.”
Earlier, the Armenian side stated that its border checkpoints with Turkey were ready for operation.
Currently, border guards from the National Security Service (SNB) of Armenia are on duty at the Akhurik checkpoint, in contrast to the previous practice where duty was carried out jointly with Russian border guards. At the same time, Russian border guards remain present along the borders with Turkey and Iran.
Since 2022, Armenia and Turkey have resumed the process of normalizing relations, including holding meetings of special envoys on normalization at the shared border and in the capitals of both countries.
However, diplomatic relations have not yet been established, and the land border remains closed, despite positive signals about its opening since late 2025.
In 2022, the parties agreed to allow third-country nationals and diplomats to cross the land border, but since then, Turkey has stated that progress in the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan is a prerequisite for further achievements in the normalization process with Armenia. Turkey initially closed the border in 1993 during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.
Earlier in 2026, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and special envoy Rubinyan did not participate in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, held on April 17–19, which they had attended since 2022. Instead, Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan represented the country at the forum.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on the decision to send a lower-level delegation. Previously, the normalization process between Armenia and Turkey had been discussed within the framework of the forum.
Furthermore, Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan stated in Istanbul that Azerbaijan had influenced the continued closure of the land border between Armenia and Turkey “through its lobbying and influence” in Turkey.
