Armenia and Turkey held their first joint meeting on the use of the Akhuryan and Araks rivers
21.05.2026,
12:47
The Armenian-Turkish commission on the use of the Akhuryan and Araks rivers held its first joint meeting, the Water Committee of Armenia reported.
YEREVAN, May 20. /ARKA/. The Armenian-Turkish commission on the use of the Akhuryan and Araks rivers held its first joint meeting, the Water Committee of Armenia reported.
The meeting took place at the border crossing between Armenia and Turkey, and then in the administrative building of Jrar CJSC, part of the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia.
Representatives of the standing Armenian-Turkish commissions on transboundary water resources management, which are responsible for the operation of the Sardarapat regulator and the Akhuryan reservoir, participated in the meeting.
Tigran Vardanyan, Director of Jrar CJSC, delivered a welcoming speech. He noted that the signed documents were prepared on mutually beneficial terms. A number of important agreements were reached during the meeting.
Earlier, on May 13, 2026, Ankara announced the completion of preparations for the launch of direct trade between Turkey and Armenia. Yerevan noted that direct trade between Armenia and Turkey, in the customs sense, was now possible, without the need for re-clearance through third countries.
About the Armenian-Turkish Dialogue
Armenia and Turkey have not had diplomatic relations since 1991, and the border between the two countries has been closed since 1993 at Ankara's initiative. Key issues included the recognition of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
In December 2021, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Ruben Rubinyan and former Turkish Ambassador to the United States Serdar Kılıç were appointed special representatives for the normalization of relations.
Direct cargo air transport between the countries became possible on January 1, 2023.
On September 24, 2024, in New York, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan confirmed their readiness to continue normalization without preconditions.
On April 12, 2025, the foreign ministers of the two countries discussed the bilateral agenda on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum. On September 12, 2025, at a meeting in Yerevan, Rubinyan and Kılıç agreed to accelerate the implementation of agreements on opening the land border to third-country nationals and persons with diplomatic passports, as well as on the Gyumri-Kars railway project, the Gyumri-Kars power line, and increasing the number of flights.
On April 28, 2026, a joint working group of the two countries met in Kars to restore and launch the Gyumri-Kars railway line. On May 4, 2026, Pashinyan announced the signing of an Armenian-Turkish protocol on the joint reconstruction of the historic Ani Bridge.
The meeting took place at the border crossing between Armenia and Turkey, and then in the administrative building of Jrar CJSC, part of the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia.
Representatives of the standing Armenian-Turkish commissions on transboundary water resources management, which are responsible for the operation of the Sardarapat regulator and the Akhuryan reservoir, participated in the meeting.
Tigran Vardanyan, Director of Jrar CJSC, delivered a welcoming speech. He noted that the signed documents were prepared on mutually beneficial terms. A number of important agreements were reached during the meeting.
Earlier, on May 13, 2026, Ankara announced the completion of preparations for the launch of direct trade between Turkey and Armenia. Yerevan noted that direct trade between Armenia and Turkey, in the customs sense, was now possible, without the need for re-clearance through third countries.
About the Armenian-Turkish Dialogue
Armenia and Turkey have not had diplomatic relations since 1991, and the border between the two countries has been closed since 1993 at Ankara's initiative. Key issues included the recognition of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
In December 2021, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Ruben Rubinyan and former Turkish Ambassador to the United States Serdar Kılıç were appointed special representatives for the normalization of relations.
Direct cargo air transport between the countries became possible on January 1, 2023.
On September 24, 2024, in New York, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan confirmed their readiness to continue normalization without preconditions.
On April 12, 2025, the foreign ministers of the two countries discussed the bilateral agenda on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum. On September 12, 2025, at a meeting in Yerevan, Rubinyan and Kılıç agreed to accelerate the implementation of agreements on opening the land border to third-country nationals and persons with diplomatic passports, as well as on the Gyumri-Kars railway project, the Gyumri-Kars power line, and increasing the number of flights.
On April 28, 2026, a joint working group of the two countries met in Kars to restore and launch the Gyumri-Kars railway line. On May 4, 2026, Pashinyan announced the signing of an Armenian-Turkish protocol on the joint reconstruction of the historic Ani Bridge.
