Türkiye and Armenia Move to Direct Trade as Border Work Continues

By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk

Türkiye and Armenia have moved closer to direct trade after Ankara said bureaucratic preparations were completed on May 11, marking a limited but concrete step in the normalization track while work to reopen the common border continues.

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Öncü Keçeli said on May 13 that the bureaucratic preparations for launching direct trade between Türkiye and Armenia had been completed as of May 11. He said technical and bureaucratic work required for the opening of the common border was still under way.

The distinction is central to the announcement. Türkiye is not saying the border has opened. Ankara is saying that the paperwork needed to allow direct trade documentation has been completed, while the physical border remains subject to further technical work.

Keçeli said the new arrangement would allow goods moving from Türkiye to Armenia through third countries, or from Armenia to Türkiye through the same route, to list "Armenia" or "Türkiye" as the final destination or point of departure. He said Türkiye would continue to support permanent peace, prosperity and the development of economic relations in the South Caucasus.

Armenia welcomed the move. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan described Türkiye's decision to remove restrictions on bilateral trade as an outcome of the Armenia–Türkiye normalization process. She said the step was important for trade, business ties, economic connectivity, peace and prosperity.

Badalyan also tied the trade measure to the larger diplomatic track, saying the move could be followed by the opening of the Armenia–Türkiye border and the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Armenia's Economy Ministry informed businesses that direct trade had become possible as of May 11. The ministry said the change could reduce costs and delivery times and create new market and cooperation opportunities for Armenian and Turkish companies.

Ruben Rubinyan, Armenia's special representative for normalization with Türkiye, said the new arrangement made direct trade possible "in customs terms." He said goods could now be documented without reclassification through third countries, with Armenia or Türkiye listed as the point of origin or final destination.

Rubinyan said work was continuing toward the opening of the land border, including the Gyumri–Kars railway. His comments placed the trade step inside the broader normalization file, where technical preparations, transport links and diplomatic recognition remain separate but connected stages.

The announcement adds a concrete trade measure to a process that has advanced through cautious technical steps rather than a single political breakthrough. Bosphorus News previously reported that Ankara and Yerevan were moving through preparations for border, rail and Ani bridge links, with both sides signaling progress while avoiding language that would suggest the border had already reopened.

The latest move gives businesses a narrower but practical channel. Goods still move through third countries, but the documentation can now identify Türkiye and Armenia directly. That reduces one layer of political and administrative ambiguity without removing the larger border question.

The step also carries regional weight. Türkiye has framed the normalization process as part of a wider effort to build economic ties and stability in the South Caucasus, while Armenia is presenting the trade measure as a logical stage toward border opening and diplomatic relations. The process also remains tied to the wider regional balance after Karabakh, where Ankara's dialogue with Yerevan continues to intersect with Azerbaijan's security and connectivity priorities, a link Bosphorus News examined in its earlier coverage of Armenia–Türkiye normalization and Baku's position.

The trade step now makes the next phase more visible. If the customs change begins to work in practice, attention will move quickly to the land border, the Gyumri–Kars railway and the still absent diplomatic relations between Ankara and Yerevan, where progress will depend less on new announcements than on whether the two sides can turn technical readiness into an open route.

***Sources: Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Foreign Affairs, statement by spokesperson Öncü Keçeli on the launch of direct trade between Türkiye and Armenia, May 13, 2026. Armenpress, statement by Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan, May 13, 2026. Armenpress, Armenian Ministry of Economy notice to businesses, May 13, 2026. Armenpress, remarks by Armenia's special representative Ruben Rubinyan, May 13, 2026.