ANKARA

Direct trade between the neighbors of Türkiye and Armenia, long estranged but now seeking rapprochement, would be a "win-win" for both sides, according to a high-level Turkish Foreign Ministry official.

Speaking to a group of journalists, the official, who declined to be named, said trade between Türkiye and Armenia currently goes indirectly through neighboring Georgia and is worth $230 million, with approximately 15,000 trucks making the journey annually.

"If both parties can ensure the evolving of relations to a positive point by showing the necessary flexibility, this will be a win-win for both countries," the official added.

Noting that the current process between Türkiye and Armenia is more seen as a "trust-building process" rather than a normalization process for both sides, the diplomat stressed that both sides have adopted an approach of taking confidence-building steps, with each step supporting the next, and not setting great expectations that may cause major disappointment.

The official added that Turkish Ambassador Serdar Kilic and Armenian Deputy Parliament Speaker Ruben Rubinyan, the special envoys for reconciliation appointed last December by both sides, agreed to continue the process step by step.

"The current situation is not the desired picture in Turkish-Armenian relations and it is necessary to make an effort to evolve this picture into the desired one," the official added.

Confidence-building measures

On the confidence-building steps, the official said during their bilateral meeting on July 1, the special representatives agreed on two concrete proposals.

Stressing that the agreement by the envoys is not "the signing of a protocol" but rather reflects their agreement on two confidence-building measures to be taken in the coming days, the official added that they agreed to start work on realizing the confidence-building steps.

"It was written in a way not to slow down the process, but to avoid disappointments arising from excessive expectations in case there may be some problems experienced amid the process," the official added.

Expressing optimism in the next meeting set for September, the official said there are technical steps to be taken by authorities of the two countries, adding that there are many technical details.

"These (details) should only be determined by the experts of that subject coming together," the high-level official said, adding that each side is doing its own "homework" towards the next steps, identifying "the missing procedures or documents, determining the technical details needed."

"We hope for relevant authorities of each countries to come together, hopefully in September, without too much delay, and from there on we can be at a point that would enable exchange of views on technical issues and ensure quick implementation of the process."

The official also stressed that the situation on the ground is very different than anticipated from afar, pointing to the difficulties of renovating the infrastructure at border gates amid winter conditions.

"One foot of the historical Silk Road Bridge at the Ani Ruins is in Armenia and the other is in Türkiye," in the Kars province, the official added, saying that it was destroyed by Russian soldiers during the 1877-1878 Ottoman-Russian War, also known as the '93 war, based on the year 1293 in the Islamic calendar.

Stressing that repairing the historic bridge would be a "serious confidence-building step," the official added: "For all this to be done, the physical conditions must also be suitable. Such a thing can’t be tried during the winter months."

The first round of normalization talks was held in Moscow on Jan. 14, where both parties agreed to continue negotiations without any preconditions, according to a statement released after the meeting.

The Turkish and Armenian envoys met for the second time in Vienna on Feb. 24, and then on May 3 in the same city.

Also, a historic bilateral meeting took place between the foreign ministers of Türkiye and Armenia on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on the Turkish Riviera on March 12.

As part of the efforts, Türkiye and Armenia also resumed commercial flights as of Feb. 2 after a two-year hiatus.