TBILISI: Opening Of Armenian-Turkish Border A Challenge For Armenian

OPENING OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER A CHALLENGE FOR ARMENIAN ECONOMY

The Messenger
Dec 25 2009
Georgia

Arsen Kazarian, Chairman of the Union of Armenia’s Industrialists and
Entrepreneurs, thinks that 2009 was a challenge for Armenia’s economy,
the biggest since the collapse of the nineties. He suggests that the
crisis forced Armenia to improve its compatibility with international
markets and therefore gave it a good base for 2010. He adds that
forthcoming years will see development as Armenian industrialists
have withstood the crisis and no company has closed down.

The opening of the Turkish-Armenian border will also be a challenge
as Armenians will be competing with Turkish capital. However Armenia
will also be able to access the Turkish market of 70 million people.

Kazarian states that there are serious signs that Armenia will reach
its preliminary target of 1.2% annual growth.