Türkiye and Armenia on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly restore the ancient Ani Bridge, in a move described as a step toward strengthening ties between the two countries.

The agreement was announced after a meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz on the sidelines of the European Political Community Summit in Yerevan, The Caspian Post reports, citing Anadolu.

Under the deal, Türkiye’s special envoy for the normalization process with Armenia and Yerevan’s envoy for the normalization of relations with Ankara, Ruben Rubinyan, signed the MoU on behalf of both sides.

The restoration initiative will center on the historic Ani Bridge, which is located along the border between Armenia and Türkiye.

In a statement shared on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal, Yilmaz said the two sides had “comprehensively evaluated” bilateral relations and explored opportunities for cooperation in areas such as transport, customs, energy, and digital infrastructure.

He noted that the agreement on the bridge represents both “symbolic and concrete cooperation” and could contribute to building “lasting peace and an environment of trust.”

Yilmaz also stated that Ankara will continue efforts to normalize relations with Yerevan, with a focus on expanding economic cooperation and strengthening people-to-people contacts across the South Caucasus region.

Türkiye is being represented at its highest level since 2008 by Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, reflecting increasing momentum in the normalization process with Armenia.