Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili sent a request to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to begin the process of dialogue between Ankara and Yerevan through the mediation of Tbilisi, the Turkish leader said.

Erdogan also announced his readiness to negotiate with Armenia if it takes "certain steps" to open a transport corridor with Nakhchivan.

"Whether or not to open a corridor is a political issue. If you (Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan) are serious about negotiations, then certain steps need to be taken. We are not closed for negotiations and will hold them. If he is really sincere and will show this sincerity, a dialogue can be started. I hope positive changes will be made and the corridor will be opened," Erdogan told reporters before leaving for the United States.

Earlier, Pashinyan said that the latest actions of Baku on the Kapan-Goris highway in the Syunik region of the country may be related to the position of Yerevan, which does not agree with the idea of ​​a transport corridor from the western regions of Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan. In late August, the National Security Service of Armenia accused Azerbaijan of blocking a section of the road leading to Iran between the Armenian cities of Kapan and Goris in the Syunik region. As a result, hundreds of trucks have accumulated in Armenia and Iran. Many passenger buses on the Tehran - Yerevan - Tehran route were also cancelled. The road was later unblocked.