Kars Mayor Wants to Reopen Armenian Border

PanARMENIAN.Net
01.08.2006 15:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Kars Mayor Naif Alibeyoglu is waging an uphill
battle to overcome nationalist sentiments against Armenia to once
again get the Turkish-Armenian border reopened to civilian traffic
and trade since being shut down in 1993 due to the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict. Alibeyoglu says that reopening the border crossing with
Armenia will not be simply a move that will boost the local economy of
the region but will also constitute a major breakthrough for Turkish
exporters who have been dreaming of acquiring cheap and secure land
and rail access to markets in Central Asia and beyond.

Being a prosperous, multinational city, where Turks, Kurds, Armenians,
Russians and Georgians lived, Kars is today one of the poorest regions
of the country. 70% of Kars population left the town lately. The
only income of the locals is cattle breeding. The opening of the
border will revive Kars, the Mayor believes. "Turkey’s future is
in Central Asia and the Caucasus. Turkey lost this market to Russia
and America," Alibeyoglu says.

Kars Mayor Alibeyoglu is a devout believer that the city can regain
at least some of its past splendor. Alibeyoglu pictures Kars as the
Davos of the Caucasus. "If that was its status 80 years ago, then why
shouldn’t it be so now?" he asks. Kars will be home to the 3rd Festival
of Caucasus Cultures between Sept. 15-17, hosting groups from 30
countries including Armenia, Ukraine, Sudan and even Cuba. The festival
is just one attempt to earn Kars the recognition it deserves. Apart
from that, the municipality has a number of projects to preserve
the unique Tsarist-era architecture of the city, responsible for the
city’s decrepit charm. In addition, a large citadel and a crumbling
Armenian church-turned-mosque are some of the sights accounting for
Kars’ specialization in ruins, reported Turkish Daily news.