On the way of improving their historically strained relations Armenia and Turkey met at the level of their top diplomats in Istanbul late Monday.

According to official and media reports, the two countries’ foreign ministers, Edward Nalbandyan and Ali Babacan, had a working dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel in Istanbul, during which they discussed a range of issues pertaining to the region, including the Turkey-initiated cooperation and stability platform in the Caucasus.

The meeting was closed for media.

"Our aim is to totally normalize bilateral relations," Babacan later told reporters, evaluating his meeting with Nalbandian as “fruitful and constructive”, according to Turkish press and the press release of the Armenian Foreign Ministry.

Nalbandian, who was on a one-day visit to the Istanbul-based secretariat of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) and Armenia’s permanent representation to the organization, received an invitation from Babacan on the spot and accepted it.

He stated that both he and Babacan had decided to go on with their efforts to normalize relations.

“Armenia is ready to re-establish diplomatic relations without any preconditions and we are waiting from [the] Turkish side the same approach,” Nalbandyan said at an extended press conference in Istanbul preceding his meeting with Babacan.

The Armenian minister also reportedly urged Turkey to reopen its border with Armenia.

“In the world there are many countries, many neighboring countries having different problems to be solved,” said Nalbandian. “But they have diplomatic relations, they have open borders, they are open to each to other, and in this condition it is much easier to talk.”

After the meeting that lasted nearly two and a half hours, Babacan told reporters that the two countries would continue their political and technical contacts in coming days.