WHO IS IN FAVOR, AND WHO IS AGAINST OPENING THE ARMENIA-TURKEY BORDER

Panorama.am
20:58 14/08/2007

"For the first time, Turkey brought up the issue of its national
security in relation to the opening of their border with Armenia,"
Richard Giragosian, of the center of Caucasus and Central Asian issues,
stated to journalists at the Military Study Center in Yerevan.

He is convinced that the opening of the border would be more beneficial
to a blockaded Armenia, yet Turkey now has its own benefits from
opening the border.

According to him, Turkey considers the surrounding Kurdish regions
as a danger, and a way out of this would be to improve their economy,
which can only happen if they agree to the border opening.

A benefit to Armenia, he reminded, was the opening of Armenia’s economy
to the outside world, which would cut transit costs for its good,
and would once and for all end the blockade, putting some "fear"
in the monopolists who currently run Armenia’s economy.

Although not naming names, Giragosian seemed to point at those in
the sugar and cigarette businesses.

"There are strong interests in Armenia which do not want the border
opened, but this would be good for the country, which would be able
to integrate into the global economy," he noted in closing.