Business in step with politics: Armenian and Turkish business forum to reconvene in Yerevan in September

As political negotiations on the normalization of relations between Armenia and Türkiye continue, business communities in the two countries have also launched an active dialogue.

Although the Armenia-Türkiye border, which was unilaterally closed by Türkiye in 1993, remains closed, business representatives are seeking avenues for cooperation, taking into account the agreements reached in the normalization process and the ongoing negotiations on their implementation.

As part of the Armenia-Türkiye normalization process, and with the support of the governments of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Türkiye, representatives of Armenia's business community crossed the Armenia-Türkiye land border on June 2 and traveled to Kars to meet with representatives of Türkiye's business community.

The information released by the two sides following the meeting was limited. It only stated that the participants represented the food, beverages, bottled water, juice, fruit, tobacco, construction, tourism, floriculture and other sectors. They emphasized the considerable potential for trade cooperation between Armenia and Türkiye and exchanged views on prospects for future cooperation.

The participants welcomed the completion in Türkiye of the administrative procedures required to launch direct trade between Armenia and Türkiye. As a result, goods transported between the two countries via the territory of a third country can now officially indicate "Armenia/Türkiye" as the country of origin or final destination, and vice versa. They also underscored the importance of granting Armenian goods access to the Akhalkalaki (Georgia)-Kars (Türkiye) railway, which would create new opportunities for bilateral and regional trade.

However, no information was released on any specific agreements reached at the meeting or on whether the meetings would continue on a regular basis.

It was precisely these questions that journalists visiting Türkiye from Armenia under an exchange program sought to answer. An Armenpress correspondent was among them.

The journalists participating in the exchange program were received by Kadir Bozan, Chairman of the Board of the Kars Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who had also taken part in the June 2 meeting in Kars.

Bozan said 57 business representatives from Armenia had attended the meeting, representing the textile, construction, food, beverage and floriculture sectors.

"We had very productive discussions. Many of our companies are still in negotiations," he said.

According to Bozan, following the meeting in Kars, the two sides have continued negotiations in several areas, and further developments may be announced in the near future.

He also said that the second Armenia-Türkiye Business Forum is scheduled to take place in September, this time in Yerevan. In Bozan's view, the Yerevan forum could have a significant economic impact not only on Kars, but also on Iğdır, Ardahan, and possibly Van.

The Chairman of the Board of the Kars Chamber of Commerce and Industry added that he had set two preconditions for participating in the meeting and had informed the foreign ministries of both Armenia and Türkiye accordingly.

The first precondition is that there should be no limit on the number of business representatives from Kars wishing to attend the meeting. The second is that the Kars business delegation should cross the border through the Akyaka and Akhurik border crossing points as a symbolic gesture.

It should be recalled that the Armenia-Türkiye border has previously been opened several times for short periods for humanitarian purposes. However, those openings took place through the Margara and Alican border crossing points.

Bozan also addressed the prospects for opening the Armenia-Türkiye border in response to a question on whether the authorities of Kars Province raise the issue with Türkiye's central government and whether they have noticed any recent changes in Ankara's position.

He said that active work is currently underway on the eastern border with Armenia, particularly with regard to the railway and the road connection.

"The railway will open first," he said, referring to the Gyumri-Kars railway. "There is information that the eastern border will subsequently also be opened for road transport. Of course, these are not official reports but information we have heard from the authorities. I hope we will see results in the near future, and I believe this will be highly beneficial for our region."

Bozan was unable to say whether Armenia currently exports or imports goods via the Akhalkalaki-Kars railway. He only noted that freight traffic on the railway line has increased by 400 percent in recent months.

It should be recalled that in May 2026, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that the Akhalkalaki-Kars railway had been opened for exports from Armenia and imports into Armenia, thanking partners in Georgia and Türkiye.