Armenia’s Foreign Minister is expected to hold a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu when he visits Turkey on Wednesday.
The foreign ministry announced that Mirzoyan will travel to Turkey to meet with Armenian rescue workers who were dispatched to assist in earthquake relief operations to Turkey and Syria.
The meeting with Cavusoglu will take place in Ankara, according to the foreign ministry.
Armenia’s National Security chief Armen Grigoryan told reporters on Tuesday that Armenia is ready to open its shared border with Turkey and normalize relations “at any time.”
He reminded the reporters that an agreement on the opening of the border for nationals from third countries was made in July.
“The Armenian and Turkish sides are holding discussions on the issue and will continue the discussions, hoping that it will take place as soon as possible,” Grigoryan said.
However, the earthquake prompted the opening of the border for the first time in 30 years when on Saturday Armenian humanitarian assistance for the earthquake was transported through the border.
Turkish media posted videos showing Armenian humanitarian cargo trucks crossing the Margara border checkpoint on the Armenia-Turkey border and passing through the streets of the city of Igdir.
Earlier that day, Armenia’s foreign ministry press secretary Vahan Hunanyan tweeted that the trucks loaded with humanitarian aid had crossed the Armenia-Turkey border through the Margara bridge and headed to the earthquake-affected region.
“In addition to a team of 28 rescuers and technical equipment sent immediately after the earthquake, five truckloads of 100 tons of food, medicine, water and other emergency aid packages from the Armenian people left for Adyyaman, passing through the Alican border gate this morning,” Serdar Kilic, Turkey’s special envoy on normalization talks with Armenia said in a social media post.
“I will always remember the generous aid sent by the people of Armenia to help alleviate the sufferings of our people in the earthquake-stricken region in Turkey,” Kilic said.
Armenia’s response to the earthquake was also welcomed by the European Union’s high commissioner on the Caucasus Toivo Klaar.
“In the face of so much tragedy in Turkey it is heartwarming to see the support that it’s neighbor Armenia has provided and the positive response this has engendered,” Klaar tweeted.
The latest estimates place the death toll in the Turkey-Syria earthquake at over 37,000. Armenia dispatched a team of rescue workers to both countries a day after the devastation last week.
According to figures announced by Armenia’s Diaspora Commissioner’s office, 13 Armenians have been killed in both Syria and Turkey.
There are number of Armenians who have suffered injuries, with Armenians institutions sustaining damage, especially in Syria.
