Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met for bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Leaders’ Summit at the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31).
The bilateral meeting was announced by Pashinyan’s press secretary, Melanya Harutyunyan, who shared a photograph on social media. Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan, who arrived in Antalya last night for the summit, had been welcomed ahead of the event by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. A family photograph was subsequently taken.
At the bilateral meeting, held on Wednesday evening, November 11, Pashinyan and Erdoğan were accompanied by several officials. Representing Turkey were Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, AKP Deputy Chairman and Party Spokesperson Ömer Çelik, and National Intelligence Organization (MİT) Director İbrahim Kalın. On the Armenian side, Pashinyan was accompanied by Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Nairi Petrosyan, Armenia's Permanent Representative to the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization in Turkey.
Official statements
Following the meeting, Turkey's Directorate of Communications issued a brief statement under the headline: "Our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, received Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who is in Antalya for the COP31 Leaders' Summit (#COP31Turkey)."
The statement reads:
"During the meeting, the normalization process in Turkey-Armenia bilateral relations and regional issues were discussed. President Erdoğan stated that the ongoing normalization process between Turkey and Armenia is continuing through constructive steps and that some symbolic but important measures have been taken. Our President also stated that Turkey is closely following and supporting the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan."
Around the same time, a statement from the Armenian Prime Minister's Office was published by Armenia's official news agency, Armenpress.
According to Armenpress, President Erdoğan expressed his pleasure at the Armenian Prime Minister's visit to Antalya and his participation in the Leaders' Summit. Prime Minister Pashinyan congratulated President Erdoğan on the successful organization of the event. Pashinyan also offered his condolences over the loss of life caused by an explosion at an iron and steel facility in İzmir.
The two leaders discussed the normalization process in Armenia-Turkey relations and emphasized the importance of advancing the process and bringing it to a logical conclusion.
In this context, the two sides highlighted the steps taken to date, the agreements reached, and the further development of trade and economic relations.
They also exchanged views on regional developments. Nikol Pashinyan and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan noted that the establishment of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan had created new momentum for the development of regional cooperation.
They also discussed the removal of obstacles to transport and communication links, as well as steps toward implementing the TRIPP project.
Their previous meeting took place in New York
In September, during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Pashinyan at the Turkish House and invited the Armenian Prime Minister to attend the COP31 Leaders' Summit.
On June 20, 2025, during a working visit to Turkey, Pashinyan was officially welcomed by President Erdoğan in a ceremony at the Dolmabahçe Presidential Working Office. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan also attended the meeting.
Before those talks, Pashinyan met with members of the Armenian community in Turkey and Armenian journalists in Istanbul, delivering several important messages. He also visited the Armenian Patriarchate.
During the meeting between the two leaders, an exchange of views on the Turkey-Armenia normalization process was expected. One of the most important and concrete initiatives expected to be discussed was the reopening of the Alican/Margara border crossing, which has been closed for 30 years.
