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 towards strengthening ties between the two countries.

The agreement was announced following a meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz on the sidelines of the 8th European Political Community Summit in Yerevan, Armenia’s capital.

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

The restoration project will focus on the historic Ani Bridge, which lies on the border between Armenia and Türkiye.

In a statement posted on Turkish social media platform NSosyal, Yilmaz said the two sides had “comprehensively evaluated” bilateral relations and discussed potential cooperation in areas, including transport, customs, energy, and digital infrastructure.

He said the agreement on the bridge is an example of “symbolic and concrete cooperation” that can help build “lasting peace and an environment of trust.”

Yilmaz added that Ankara will continue its efforts towards normalization with Yerevan, aimed at increasing 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 growing momentum in Türkiye’s normalization process with Armenia.

Relations between the two are seeing one of their most active periods since the 1990s, thanks to the normalization steps taken in recent years.