DOMESTIC PROBLEMS SOLUTION TO HAVE GREATER IMPACT ON ECONOMIC GROWTH THAN ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER OPENING

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Jan 15 2007

YEREVAN, January 15. /ARKA/. Domestic problems solution will have
greater impact on economic growth than Armenian-Turkish border opening,
Kiro Manoyan, director ARF Dashnaktsutyun’s Hay Dat, said Saturday
in Yerevan at a two-day conference focused on economic and social
consequences of possible Armenian-Turkish border opening.

"Corruption elimination and shadow economy reduction will be rather
effective for economic growth than Armenian-Turkish border opening",
he said.

Manoyan said that Armenia has sufficient capacity to ensure economic
achievements. That is why he finds it wrong to put great emphasis on
border opening.

Besides, he said, there is no need to persuade Armenia to open the
border. "It seems the conference organizers aimed to convince Armenia
of the use of solving this problem. Turkey, not Armenia should be
persuaded", he said.

The conference was organized by Armenian International Policy Research
Group – AIPRG – and sponsored by USAID, Eurasia Foundation and British
Embassy in Armenia.

Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993.