Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is set to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday in a rare visit intended to advance the normalisation of ties between the two nations, whose relationship has long been marred by historic grievances and Turkey’s close alliance with Azerbaijan.

The two countries, which currently lack formal diplomatic relations, are expected to focus their discussions on potentially reopening their shared border and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, according to AP.

Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 as a show of solidarity with Azerbaijan, which was then engaged in a conflict with Armenia over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. In 2020, Turkey lent strong support to Azerbaijan in a six-week war with Armenia over the same territory.

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That conflict concluded with a Russia-brokered ceasefire, granting Azerbaijan control over large parts of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The two countries also remain divided over the mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. An estimated 1.5 million Armenians were reportedly killed through massacres, deportations, and forced marches beginning in 1915.

Historians widely characterise the atrocities as genocide — a term Turkey rejects. Ankara concedes that many perished during the period but disputes the death toll and insists the casualties occurred amid civil unrest.

Pashinyan’s visit marks a continuation of a thaw in relations, which began when Ankara and Yerevan agreed in 2021 to begin efforts to normalise ties. Both sides appointed special envoys to oversee dialogue.