Türkiye has completed the tender process to rebuild the historic Ani Bridge on its border with Armenia after signing the contract on Sept. 28, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said in a written statement, Türkiye Today reports. The 10th-century Silk Road bridge, of which only pier remains survive, will be reconstructed under a joint Türkiye-Armenia commission, Uraloglu said, in one of the most visible steps of the two countries’ normalization process. “By signing the contract on Sept. 28, we completed the tender process for the reconstruction of the historic Ani Bridge on the Türkiye-Armenia border,” Uraloglu said. “With the reconstruction of the historic bridge, we aim to preserve one of the important cultural heritages of the Silk Road and pass it on to future generations,” he added. The General Directorate of Highways (KGM) held the tender for the restoration work on Sept. 16, Uraloglu said. The protocol setting out the scope and method of the reconstruction was signed in Yerevan on May 4, he said. “In line with the protocol signed at the meeting also attended by our Vice President Mr. Cevdet Yilmaz, the restoration process will be carried out by a joint commission that includes our ministry and our General Directorate of Highways (KGM),” Uraloglu said. Türkiye’s Special Envoy Serdar Kilic and Armenia’s then-envoy Ruben Rubinyan signed the protocol on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit, as Yilmaz and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan looked on. The Ani archaeological site, including the bridge, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2016 with 21 cultural assets, Uraloglu noted.