Turkiye-Armenia border gate reopens

A border gate between Turkiye and Armenia has been opened for the first time in 30 years for the passage of humanitarian assistance for victims of the devastating earthquakes in southern Turkiye, the state-run Anadolu News Agency reported.

An Armenian delegation with five trucks of aid had entered through the Alican Border Gate in the Igdir province, said the report on Saturday.

The Armenian aid delegation carrying 100 tons of food, medicine and drinking water passed through the gate toward the southeastern province of Adiyaman in the morning, said Serdar Kilic, Turkiye's special representative for normalization talks with Armenia.

On Tuesday Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan offered condolences and support to the Turkish people, in a phone conversation with Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Armenia has sent 27 rescuers to Turkiye to assist in the search-and-rescue operations, the country's internal affairs ministry said.

Turkiye severed diplomatic relations and closed the border with Armenia in 1993 in support of Azerbaijan. Last year Turkish and Armenian leaders met informally at a European summit in efforts to mend decades of animosity.

Xinhua - Agencies