Turkey’s Kars town concerned over opening of Turkish-Armenian border
ANS
11.04.2009 16:35
Hasan Zeynalov, General Council of Azerbaijan in Kars, expressed his
concern over the border opening issue.
A lot of Azerbaijani and Turkish people protest against opening of
Turkish-Armenian border with Armenian-Azerbaijani conflic over Daqliq
Qarabaq (Nagorno Karabakh) left unregulated. Population of Turkish Kars
town, bordering with Armenia, also consider the border sould not be
opened until the conflict is solved. Special correspondent of ANS TV
reports from Kars that ordinary citizens don’t protest against the
opening of borders considering this step will boost economic potential
of Kars and neighbouring areas. However, people support the opening
after Daqliq Qarabaq conflict is regulated. Ordinary citizens of small
Turkish town don’t believe there could be any talks about opening of
borders with the conflict unresolved.
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Daqliq Qarabaq began
in 1988 as the result of territorial claims by Armenia against
Azerbaijan. Between 1988 ` 1994, Armenia occupied 20% of the
Azerbaijani lands including the Daqliq Qarabaq and its seven
neighboring regions. In 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire
agreement.
Hasan Zeynalov, General Council of Azerbaijan in Kars, expressed his
concern over the border opening issue. In his interview with ANS
correponden, Mr. Zeynalov said a protest action
had been planned in
Kars, while it had been annulled after Turkey’s PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan
had made a statement on April 10 reaffirming there would be no border
opening unless Qarabaq conflic t is resolved. Since, nobody in Kars
believes Turkish-Armenian border will be opened soon.
There is no diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey, as Armenia
presses the international community to admit the so-called "genocide"
claims instead of accepting Turkey’s call to investigate the
allegations, and Armenia’s aggression against Azerbaijan.
Turkey has offered to form a joint commission to investigate what has
really happened in 1915 and opened up all official archives, but
Armenia is dragging its feet in accepting the offer.
Turkey is also embroiled in a dispute with Armenia over Daqliq Qarabaq.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in protest of Armenia’s
invasion of 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory.
ANS correspondent also visited Turkish-Armenian border in Kars and
witnessed no reconstruction works on the border. However, the General
COuncil informed about repairs on Turkish-Armenian border in Iqdir,
another Turkish town. Mr. Zeynalov told Armenian side is holding
large-scale reconstruction works in border area. ANS TV’s correspondent
will observe the recent developmentson borderline in Kars soon. /ANS TV/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress