Turkey and Armenia have agreed to start bilateral land trade.
Modern.az reports that Turkey's T24 publication disseminated this information.
According to Ezgi Akin, a journalist for "Al Monitor" newspaper, two commercial sources familiar with the situation stated that Ankara and Yerevan have agreed to commence direct land trade.
This step occurred against the backdrop of Ankara's intensified efforts to normalize relations with Yerevan as part of broader US-led regional peace initiatives in the South Caucasus. Turkey and Armenia do not have official diplomatic relations, and their common border has been closed since 1993. However, in 2022, the two sides began normalization talks with the aim of opening the border and establishing diplomatic ties.
As part of the normalization process, Turkey's special representative for Armenia, Serdar Kılıç, and the Deputy Speaker of the Armenian Parliament and Yerevan's special representative, Ruben Rubinyan, held six meetings. According to a source, after these meetings, Kılıç held talks in November with Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, the Chairman of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), to discuss the technical details of the new agreement.
"The decision was made some time ago, and technical work has already begun," said Noyan Soyak, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board of the Turkey-Armenia Business Development Council.
Until now, land trade between the two countries was carried out within the framework of quasi-re-export agreements through intermediary companies in Georgia. Turkish goods destined for Armenia were officially classified as separate exports after entering Georgia. Under the new agreement, transit shipments via Georgia will no longer be considered "re-exports": goods will retain their initial export status throughout the entire transit. Thus, direct bilateral trade will be possible without the involvement of Georgian intermediaries and without opening the closed land border.
An industry source noted that land trade via Georgia has already been possible, but companies will need time to adapt their operations to the new rules. It is also noted that in 2022, Turkey and Armenia launched direct cargo air services as part of steps to normalize relations.
According to the Statistical Committee of Armenia, bilateral trade between Turkey and Armenia exceeded 336 million dollars in 2024. Imports from Turkey to Armenia amounted to approximately 335 million dollars, and about 40% of these shipments were transported by land through Georgian territory. This means that the new direct transit agreement will primarily benefit Turkish traders.
Turkey's main exports to Armenia include machinery and mechanical equipment, iron and steel products, other industrial goods, and textiles. Although official figures for 2025 have not yet been published, N. Soyak estimates that the total trade volume could reach approximately 400 million dollars. Furthermore, the abolition of the re-export mechanism is expected to eliminate an additional 10-15% burden on Turkish companies.
