Inan Akgun Alp, a lawmaker from Turkey’s opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) elected from Kars, visited Sahnal ar village in the Akyaka district of Kars on the Turkey-Armenia border. At the site of an old bridge, he said his ancestors had blown it up in 1920 during the capture of Kars and called for reopening the border with Armenia, Factor.am reported, citing Agos.
“After 106 years, as a member of parliament from Kars, I demand that the border with Armenia be opened through this bridge. We lost martyrs here 106 years ago. Today, instead of those painful experiences, we prioritize the peace and prosperity of our people,” he said.
Referring to Azerbaijan-Armenia relations, the Turkish lawmaker said: “We want the issues involving Azerbaijan to lead to lasting peace, the border with Armenia to reopen and trade to begin along this route.”
Yerevan and Ankara issued a statement in December 2021 expressing readiness to take steps toward normalizing relations. In 2022, representatives of the two countries agreed in Vienna to open the border to citizens of third countries and begin direct air cargo transportation. However, those agreements have yet to be implemented in practice.
In September 2025, Serdar Kilic visited Armenia. Armenia’s Foreign Ministry said the sides discussed steps to implement the agreements reached on July 1, 2022, and agreed to accelerate the process.
