ARMENIAN ECONOMIST SAFARYAN: ‘TURKEY SHOULD MAKE INVESTMENT IN ARMENIA’
Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
May 16 2006
Jan SOYKOK (JTW) – Armenian Economist Aram Safaryan told Turkish
daily Milliyet that the Armenian businessmen have no problem with
the closed-Turkish borders, but the Armenian people (middle and poor
classes) suffers a lot.
“There is no diplomatic relations, the borders are closed. However
everything is open for the Armenian businessmen. But the problem is
that not all of the Armenians are businessmen” he added.
Aram Safaryan is economy analyst and producer of a program in Armenia’s
Canal 2.
Safaryan argues in Milliyet that the trade between Turkey and Armenia
is annually 120 million US dollars. Turkish expert Dr. Sedat Laciner
on the other hand argues that the figure reaches about 200 million
dollars every year.
Safaryan continues:
“The annual trade between two countries is 120 million dollars.
Armenia exports about 1 million dollars good to Turkey, while it
imports 119 million dollars goods from Turkey. Does Turkey want
to change this balance! However 49 percent of my country lives in
poverty level.
Safaryan argues that both countries should establish direct relations:
“Neither US nor the EU could bring both countries together. Turkey
looks at Armenia as it looks at its Armenian society in Turkey.
However Armenia is an independent country. If Turkey abandons policy
of getting US or American support and if Turkey abandons the policy
of dominating the Middle East, it will enter the EU faster. Armenia
should not be a market for Turkey’s chip goods. Armenia should not
wear dresses that no one wears in Turkey.”
Safaryan further said that “Turkey should make investment in
Armenia”. He added:
“There is no room for small investment in Armenia. However there
is great need for bigger investments here. Armenia devotes about
50 million dollars every year for the high tech investments. Turkey
could establish a Silicon valley like in the US. Turkey could make
investments in energy area. However as far as there is no diplomatic
relations, the sources are being wasted.”
Safaryan says that 80 percent of the PVC used in windows, almost 100
percent of good made from paper materials and 100 percent of chocolate
come from Turkey.
Safaryan argues that Turkey has to find a solution for the ‘genocide’
issue:
“Turkey should recognize the right of existence of Armenians who
once lived in those territories. These people should have the right
to live in those territories with the condition of not seeking those
territories… Those territories (Eastern Turkey) are not like we
left behind. People have good dreams regarding those territories
because there is a ban. However if they go there, they would return
in 15 days. Yet a revolution would be done in Armenian mind, and the
hostility era would be closed down. Thus we can protect our common
history and what left behind this history”.
“THERE IS NO BAN”
Turkish experts share Safaryan’s many ideas, however they say that
there are still some biases and misinformation in his interview. Dr.
Sedat Laciner for instance does not agree that there is a ban for
Armenians to enter Turkey:
“Turkey is a free country and all of the borders are open for anyone.
Turkey-Armenia territorial borders are an exception. However Armenians
can visit Turkey by airplanes, and they do in fact.
Actually more than 50,000 Armenia Armenians live and work in Istanbul
and some other Turkish cities. Most of them work illegally here
and Turkish people employ them. Many of them are baby sitter, which
means that Turks trust Armenian illegal workers a lot. Apart from
the Armenia Armenians many Armenians come from Northern America and
Western Europe to visit the Armenian historical monuments in Turkey.
No one has disturbed any Armenian yet. In fact no one understand that
you are an Armenia as long as you do not mention. No Turk wants to
kill an Armenian or insult him or her. There are great differences
between politics and real life. Turkish people are ready to make
trade with Armenians from anywhere”.
“ALL ARMENIANS ARE WELCOME HERE”
Dr. Nilgun Gulcan on the other thinks that Armenia needs more than
Turkey needs Armenia:
“Armenia is a tiny country. If there was no ‘genocide’ claims, no one
gives importance to Armenia. In fact even today no one cares Armenia
state in Turkey. It does not affect Turkish economy or politics. Just
2,5 million people, a tiny country with no significant natural
source. Turkey has more interests in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Russia and
Iran. Armenia could be neglected, and Turkey loses very little from
ignoring Armenia. Armenians have to understand that Turkey is a giant
near Armenia and Armenians should benefit from this giant market.
However they prefer to start a combat against Turkey. If they do
prefer a real dialogue, they would get more even in the ‘genocide’
issue. Turkey is a more open country than Armenia is. For example,
I cannot travel to Armenia. No Turk defending Turkish perspective
could go to Armenia. A Turkish historian was in Armenia last year and
spent months in an Armenian prison. You can find any Armenian book
in any big Turkish bookshop. Almost all ‘genocide’ literature have
been translated Turkish language. We clearly understood what the
Armenians think about the 1915 Events. But Armenians have no idea
about Turkish perspective. They do not listen. They think that, if
they listen to the Turks, they would commit a great sin. All Armenians
are welcome in Turkey. Turkish people are against secret political
agendas. If you want territories they live on, of course they would
be against your ideas. But we are not in a war, and there are millions
of foreigners in Turkey. More than 200,000 Germans, British etc. live
in Turkish coasts. They have houses, they work here and they plan to
die in these territories. Armenians of course have all the rights a
British has. If Armenians want to live in Ararat or Van, they should
come and establish a life here instead of insulting us”.
ARMENIAN DIASPORA
Davut Sahiner similarly says that Armenians are welcome in Turkey.
Dr. Sahiner invites all Armenians to live and to make investment in
Turkey. Yet he has very little hope:
“If Armenian diaspora had made investments in Turkey and in Armenia
for more than a decade, about 500,000 Armenians would have lived in
Anatolian territories. They do not want any solution because they
are good with their problems. Armenian Genocide Claims create heroes
in Armenian diaspora. There are many Armenian politicians etc. whose
only income source is Armenian peoples sorrows. Some of the Armenians
make a lot of money from the Armenian issue. This is an industry.
Armenian Genocide Industry. Armenian Diaspora does not care Armenia’s
economic or political problems. They do not come to Armenia. They
want to live in US or in France. The diaspora Armenians can combat
against the Turks till the last drop of Armenia Armenians’ blood.”
Dr. Laciner argues that Armenia could be rich country in couple years
if Turkey and Armenia could give up discussing the disputes of a
century ago:
“Nothing wrong in discussing the past. The problem is we are
sacrificing today for the past. If Armenia and Turkey solved the
genocide debate 15 years ago, Armenia would have been a rich country.
Turkey is a great market and a bridge for European routes. Armenians
are talented traders, and the Armenian workers are high-skilled. Both
Turks and Armenians could have made Anatolia and Caucasus a better
place to live in. However the ultra-nationalist Armenians, Russia
and diaspora have manipulated the Armenian politics and led Armenia
to disasters. When Russia looks at Armenia, it sees only a military
base and people to be abused economically and politically. That’s all.
Diaspora is happy with the existing problems. They are against
opening the borders, even dialogue with the Turks. If you do refuse
to speak how can you solve your problems. And the ultranationalist
groups like Tashnaks want more and more territories. Territory is
nothing if your people are suffering. Principle should have been
‘first people’, not ‘first territory’. Turks lost an empire and no
one in Turkey wants more territory. We have enough territory and
Armenians have enough territory too. Armenians cannot use properly
the existing tiny Armenia, and ultranationalist Armenians want more
and more. Let’s say, let’s imagine that whole Eastern Anatolia was
given to tiny Armenia… If Armenia expands more the Armenians would
be minority in their country. All Armenians should remember that there
are more than 100 million Turks around and about 3 million Armenians.
We cannot solve our problems by killing each other. We have to learn
to live together.”
Safaryan’s interview was translated to English language by JTW staff.