Cargo flights between Armenia and Turkey could start this year

The second phase of normalization of ties between Armenia and Turkey has started and officials from both countries are discussing the start of cargo flights before New Year and the opening of the Alican Border Crossing, the Turkish Hurriyet newspaper reported citing officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The officials familiar with the talks told Hurriyet that the cargo flights “might start” before Dec. 31, the end of this year.

The re-opening of the Alican Border Crossing – closed since April 1993 – is also being discussed, according to the report.

The Alican Border Crossing connects the two countries with a 128-meter-long bridge. However, due to being closed nearly for three decades, the bridge became unserviceable.

“The bridge has to be repaired,” Hurriyet quoted the officials as saying. “Talks to repair the bridge started some weeks ago,” they added.

The officials do not expect to have a result in the near future as the snowy weather is an obstacle for construction work, according to Hurriyet.

The third phase of the normalization process will be the talks on starting direct trade between the two countries, according to Hurriyet.

“Technical works have already started on that, too,” the officials added.