Turkey could open border with Armenia

ANKARA, Turkey

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey could open its border with Armenia if Yerevan withdraws its troops from the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.

The two neighbours have had no diplomatic relations for more than a decade, since Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with Azerbaijan.

Last month, however, Turkey and Armenia agreed on a road map to normalise ties and open their border. Erdogan also announced on Friday (May 8th) that he will travel to Baku this week to meet with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and discuss the conflict with Armenia.

Azerbaijan has warned that opening the border before the withdrawal of Armenian troops from those territories would harm its national interests.