ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
March 30, 2007 Friday 04:01 PM EST

There are no reasons to keep Armenia-Turkey border closed – FM

Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian believes that there are no
reasons to keep the Armenian-Turkish border closed.

“An improvement of bilateral relations is possible only if the
border opens,” Oskanian said.

Although they have a common border of 330 kilometers, Armenia and
Turkey still do not have diplomatic relations.

Ankara demands that Yerevan must stop seeking international
recognition of the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire in 1915
and helping Karabakh in the conflict with Azerbaijan as a term for
the improvement of bilateral relations.

According to international experts, annual Armenia’s damages from the
Turkish blockade are estimated at 500 million U.S. dollars.