Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, during a press release on the plane returning him to Turkey following his visit to Africa, said that Ankara could open the border with Armenia if normalization talks between the two countries succeed.

"If Armenia remains determined to advance the negotiation process launched by the two countries' special envoys, the need for Turkey to maintain closed borders will disappear," Anadolu Agency quotes Erdogan as saying.

Erdoğan said the Caucasus region needs peace, stability and prosperity and that he believes Armenia is ready to normalize relations.

 "We also know that Armenia has specific expectations, such as the opening of borders and the establishment of diplomatic relations," Erdogan said, reaffirming that Ankara will consult with Baku during the process.

The special representatives of Armenia and Turkey are scheduled to meet in Vienna tomorrow for the second round of normalization talks.