Armenia and Turkey to jointly restore Ani Bridge

Armenia and Turkey have reached an agreement to jointly restore the historic Ani Bridge, located on the Akhuryan River and once a vital part of the Silk Road.

The initiative emerged from the sixth meeting between special envoys for the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations—Ruben Rubinyan and Serdar Kılıç—which took place on September 12 in Yerevan. Following the talks, the foreign ministries of both countries confirmed the agreement.

According to Turkish sources, the restoration of the bridge—which for centuries served as a key hub along trade routes—is intended to boost tourism in the region and strengthen cultural ties between the two nations. Built in the 10th-11th centuries by the Armenian Bagratid dynasty, the Ani Bridge is believed by historians to have remained in use until the 16th-17th centuries.