PanARMENIAN.Net - Deputy Speaker of Armenia's National Assembly Ruben Rubinyan has stated that the Turkish side is restoring the Alican border checkpoint, part of efforts to normalize relations between the two countries.

He recalled that in 2022, Armenia and Turkey agreed to open the land border for third-country nationals and holders of diplomatic passports, according to Radar Armenia.

"I won't say more for now. When the time comes, I will. I'll only say what was made public: the Turkish side has announced it is restoring the Alican checkpoint," Rubinyan noted, adding that experience shows it's better to speak publicly only once something is finalized.

Commenting on Turkey's attempts to link the Armenian-Turkish and Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization processes, Rubinyan said that progress in Armenia-Turkey talks will not hinder the Armenia-Azerbaijan track but rather support it.

"The Armenia-Turkey and Armenia-Azerbaijan processes are different, but since we're in the same region, they can influence each other. We believe that progress in Armenia-Turkey normalization will not harm but help the Armenia-Azerbaijan process and give it new momentum. Also, we cannot ignore the significant progress seen in Armenia-Azerbaijan relations-the August 8 peace declaration, partial reopening of railway lines-and overall, things are moving positively, with some results already visible and others to come," Rubinyan added.

Earlier, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that Armenia had requested Russia's assistance in urgently restoring certain sections of railway lines toward Azerbaijan and Turkey. On December 22, he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, where these issues were also discussed. Since 2008, the Armenian railway network has been managed by South Caucasus Railway CJSC, a subsidiary of Russian Railways.

Source: PanArmenian.Net