UNLOCKING ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER TO RAISE INVESTMENT ATTRACTIVENESS IN ARMENIA IMMEDIATELY

/ARKA/
October 21, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, October 21. / ARKA /. Unlocking the Armenian-Turkish border
will just increase the investment attractiveness of Armenia, and in
fact not only for Turkish investors, the head of OSCE Yerevan office
Sergey Kapinos said in an interview with ARKA News Agency.

"The opening of the border is a fairly lengthy process of harmonization
of procedures, monitoring mechanisms, involving different services,
such as security, customs, taxation and others, and this time should
be used to maximum benefit," the ambassador said.

Head of OSCE Yerevan Office believes that Armenia has no reason to
worry about competition from Turkey.

"Armenia has open customs borders with more developed economic states.

In addition, within the World Trade Organization and outside of
it there is always the possibility of preventing and countering
the actions that go beyond the concept of "healthy competition","
Kapinos said.

He believes that the vigorous implementation of the Turkish capital in
the Armenian economy can only play a positive role with a reasonable
approach.

However, according to the ambassador, "it will have to compete not
only with Armenian companies, but the business structures of developed
countries."

Head of OSCE Office in Yerevan is sure that opening of the border will
have a positive impact on the economic situation in Armenia and will
open up new markets for export of electricity, building materials,
foil and other products, and contribute to clearing the field of
competition in the country.

Armenia and Turkey signed protocols on the normalization of bilateral
relations on October 10 in Zurich.

The complex relationship between the two countries is caused by,
inter alia, Ankara’s position of support for Azerbaijan in the
Karabakh issue, as well as an acute reaction to Turkey’s process
of international recognition of the 1915 Armenian Genocide in the
Ottoman Empire.