Antalya: Pashinyan and Erdoğan want to bring Armenia–Turkey normalisation “to completion”
- Published
- Place
- Antalya, Turkey
- Event date
- Past event —
Summary
Nikol Pashinyan and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met on Wednesday, 11 November, in Antalya on the sidelines of the COP31 Leaders’ Summit. The two leaders stressed the importance of advancing normalisation between Armenia and Turkey and bringing it “to a logical conclusion”, according to the Armenian Prime Minister’s Office. They discussed agreements already reached, trade, peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the reopening of transport links, including the TRIPP route. On the Turkish side, the presidency says the process is moving forward “with constructive steps”, some of them “symbolic but important”. Earlier in the afternoon, Nikol Pashinyan met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. No meeting has been announced with Ilham Aliyev, who is also in Antalya.
The talks began in the late afternoon. The prime minister’s spokesperson, Melanya Harutyunyan, announced them. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan welcomed Nikol Pashinyan’s visit and his participation in the summit. The prime minister congratulated him on organising the event. He also offered his condolences after the deadly explosion at a metalworks in İzmir.
Official photos show a handshake in front of the two countries’ flags and the COP31 logo, followed by talks between delegations.
What Yerevan and Ankara say
According to the Armenian statement, the two leaders highlighted the steps taken and agreements reached so far, as well as the need to develop trade. They stressed that peace has been established between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which in their view gives fresh impetus to regional cooperation. They also discussed unblocking routes, including steps to implement the TRIPP project, the link meant to connect Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave through southern Armenia.
Turkey’s Directorate of Communications gives a similar account, in its own words. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says normalisation is continuing “with constructive steps” and that “symbolic but important” steps have been taken. He adds that Turkey is closely following and supporting the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
A border ready, but still closed
The meeting came a day after a Turkish announcement. On Tuesday, Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said Turkey had completed preparations to open the Alican road crossing, opposite Margara, and the rail crossing towards Gyumri. He nevertheless tied the opening to a mutual agreement and said Ankara would take Azerbaijan’s “sensitivities” into account.
The land border has been closed since 1993, and the two neighbours still have no diplomatic relations. Nikol Pashinyan had already been received by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul in June 2025. On 6 November, he said he was convinced the two countries would establish such relations “in the near future”.
Pezeshkian before Erdoğan
Before seeing the Turkish president, Nikol Pashinyan held talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The two leaders stressed the agreements reached by the Armenia–Iran intergovernmental commission, which met in Yerevan on 9 and 10 November, and the importance of implementing them effectively. They welcomed the frequency of top-level meetings. The prime minister also met the President of Montenegro.
Ilham Aliyev is also attending the summit, but no Armenian–Azerbaijani meeting has been announced. All three leaders appear in the official group photo: Erdoğan and Aliyev side by side in the front row, Pashinyan in the second.
Analysis
The Armenian statement insists on one word: bringing normalisation to its “conclusion”. It matches Nikol Pashinyan’s rhetoric, as he promises diplomatic relations “in the near future”. Ankara speaks instead of “symbolic” steps and keeps the border key tied to Baku’s expectations. The meeting therefore brings neither a date nor an announcement. But it establishes a routine: an Armenian prime minister received in Turkey, a handshake in front of two flags. On the day the CSTO stripped Armenia of its voting rights, that image matters to Yerevan.
Possible consequences
No date has been announced for opening the border or establishing diplomatic relations. The COP31 Leaders’ Summit continues on Thursday, 12 November.
