Let us change topic
Yerkir/arm
February 18, 2005
Recently, the topic of re-opening or non-re-opening of the border with
Turkey has tuned into a subject of various conversations and
discussions.
And again the reason for restarting the discussion has been
artificial. It has again been spoken only about economic benefits of
the re-opening with no mentioning of the national security and
political aspects. Meanwhile the opening of the border bears latent
threats which are there even now that it is closed.
The closed border with Turkey enables us to prepare for the threats to
our national security and economy. For example, today Armenian
citizens are banned by Turkish laws to purchase lands in that country,
while we do not have a balancing law on that. Another strategic
approach can be economic strengthening of the borderline regions and
especially Shirak, which will require a state approach.
There is an opinion that the Armenian economy will benefit from
opening the border, since the transportation to the West and Middle
East will be facilitated. Or that Armenia will become a transitional
country and it willboost the economy.
However, the people holding this opinion do not specify whether the
West or Middle East needs our products and whether our economy will
not benefit more from “unshadowing” the economy and creating a
competitive field. Armenia can really become a transitional country,
if not only Turkey but also Azerbaijan open the borders and railway.
Eventually, others `confess’ that a third party is creatingobstacles
for Armenia to get other means of export like through the Georgian
harbor into the Black sea in order to force Armenia into complying
with Turkish conditions.
The fact is that Turkey shut the border in 1993 to support Azerbaijan,
but today other conditions are being drawn. Thus, the opening of the
border by Turkey will mean retreating in a way from its conditions.
While talking about opening the borders, two issues should be kept in
view. Turkey must open the border with Armenia not for providing
economic help to Armenia but to show that it does not have a hostile
position to Armenia. A mere fact of opening the border does not yet
imply normalization of economic relations which will require signing
bilateral agreements.
Secondly, we are not pleading to open the border, as is unfortunately
sometimes laid out by some of our officials but demanding it. We
demand that Turkey does not have a hostile position to Armenia. This
is why the border openingis a kind of a test on whether Turkey is
ready to renounce its hostile position to Armenia.