By Arshaluis Mgdesyan
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan was welcomed warmly in Ankara by his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Çavusoglu on February 15.
The visit came shortly after Armenia sent humanitarian aid and rescue workers to its historical rival in a powerful gesture of goodwill following the deadly earthquakes that rocked southern Turkey on February 6.
At a joint news conference, Çavusoglu thanked Armenia for “extending a hand of friendship” in Turkey’s time of need while Mirzoyan said that the sides had agreed to open their border to third-country nationals and diplomatic passport holders ahead of the 2023 tourist season.
That border has been closed since 1993 with the exception of the historic brief openings on February 11 and 14 to allow the delivery of quake relief.
After the briefing, Mirzoyan paid a visit to the 27 Armenian rescue workers deployed to the quake-hit city of Adiyaman.