Retired Ambassador Akıncı: 'Turkey-Armenia Border Crossing Should Open Before Armenia's Elections'

Halil Akıncı, founding secretary general of the Organization of Turkic States and retired ambassador, called for the Turkey-Armenia border crossing to be opened before Armenia's upcoming elections, saying that keeping the border closed is no longer sustainable. According to Cumhuriyet, Akıncı emphasized that he views this step as essential for regional stability — a notable stance given that he is widely known for his close ties to Baku, to the point of declaring, "Azerbaijan is my homeland."

The border between Turkey and Armenia has remained closed since 1993, when Ankara shut it in solidarity with Baku over the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute. The 2020 war and the subsequent shifting of regional dynamics, coupled with Armenia's signals of rapprochement with the West, have reignited debate over whether the crossing will reopen. That a figure with such pronounced pro-Azerbaijani sympathies as Akıncı is now publicly advocating for the opening makes the development diplomatically significant.