Media reports say Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stated on December 13 that Turkey and Armenia will mutually appoint special envoys to discuss steps to normalize ties, and added they will also restart charter flights between Istanbul and Yerevan.

Çavusoglu reportedly made the remarks to lawmakers during his ministry’s budget talks in Parliament, Karar newspaper reported.

“We have consulted with Azerbaijan.  Soon, we will mutually appoint special representatives with Armenia for the steps toward normalization and we will act together with Azerbaijan at every step,” Cavusoglu told parliament, according to USNews. 

Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic ties and Turkey shut down their common border in 1993, in a show of solidarity with Azerbaijan which was locked in a conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

In 2009, Ankara and Yerevan reached an agreement to establish formal relations and to open their joint border, but Turkey later said it could not ratify the deal until Armenia withdrew from Nagorno-Karabakh.  The territory lies within Azerbaijan but was under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia.

Turkey and Armenia over the past few months have released positive statements about restoring their bilateral relations, which have been frozen for nearly three decades.

Diplomatic relations between the countries have been suspended for 28 years due to Armenia’s extended military standoff with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh in which Ankara sided with Baku.

Two bilateral protocols were signed between Turkey and Armenia in Zurich in 2009 aimed at normalizing ties.  They were never ratified by either of the country’s parliaments.

In August, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Yerevan would evaluate Turkey’s diplomatic gestures for the establishment of peace in the region and respond to positive signals.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan responded by saying Turkey can work