Armenia and Turkey have officially agreed to establish a working group that has already begun discussing the technical requirements necessary for the restoration of the Gyumri-Kars railway, Armenian National Assembly Deputy Speaker Ruben Rubinyan said.

According to Rubinyan, opportunities for direct trade and efforts to restore railway connections occupy an important place in the process of normalizing Armenian-Turkish relations, Radar Armenia reports.

During a briefing, the deputy speaker highlighted the importance of direct trade between Armenia and Turkey, noting that previously it had not been possible to conduct customs-cleared direct trade between the two countries.

“If someone exported goods from Armenia to Turkey, those goods had to go through Georgia and pass customs procedures there. Now, theoretically, when importing or exporting goods, the final destination can be indicated directly,” Rubinyan said.

He also noted that the Kars-Akhalkalaki railway has gained significant importance for Armenia.

Earlier, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan emphasized during a telephone conversation the importance of opening the Akhalkalaki-Kars railway for exports from Armenia and imports into the country.