ARMENIAN FM CLAIMS BORDER WITH TURKEY WILL OPEN IN JANUARY
AssA-Irada
September 3, 2009 Thursday
Azerbaijan
The Turkey-Armenia border is expected to open on January 1, media
reports quoted Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian as
saying. Nalbandian was commenting on the latest initiative by the
two countries to normalize their strained relations, in a bid to end
a century of hostility. Ankara and Yerevan on Monday agreed with
Swiss mediation to start consultations on forging diplomatic ties
and developing bilateral relations.
The two countries announced they would complete domestic consultations
over two protocols within six weeks, to be followed by their
ratification at their parliaments. The protocols ultimately envision
opening the Turkish-Armenian border, which has been shut since 1993 due
to Armenias policy of occupation of Azerbaijani territory and Armenian
claims on the genocide of their ancestors by Ottoman Turks during World
War I. Nalbandian alleged that the process of mending ties with Turkey
has no bearing on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper (Nagorno)
Garabagh, saying the co-chairs of the mediating OSCE Minsk Group
support this stance. As for Bakus tough position on the prospect of the
border opening, the Armenian minister said the changes taking place in
the turbulent region will benefit Azerbaijan as well. Nalbandian said
Yerevan would strive to join all regional projects if its relations
with Ankara normalize. Touching on the alleged 1915 mass killings
of Armenians, he said the normalization process does not pose any
threat to efforts in this regard, adding that an intergovernmental
commission will be set up to research the developments. Turkeys Star
newspaper reported quoting a source at the countrys energy ministry
that the energy balance will be altered in the region if the Turkish
and Armenian parliaments ratify the two mentioned protocols. The
report claimed that, following approval of the documents, technical
changes will occur in the project on the Nabucco pipeline, and the
European Union is likely to call for the conduit passing not through
Georgia, but Armenia, another South Caucasus republic. According to
Star, the EU has long been seeking to have Armenia join the project,
which aims to pump Caspian and Central Asian gas to European markets,
with France being the most arduous supporter. Pointing out that the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) main export pipeline passes through Georgia,
which faced a military incursion by Russian troops in August 2008,
the 27-member bloc considers as risky routing another key pipeline
through the country. Therefore, it believes Armenia is an alternative
transit state for energy projects, Star said.