Turkey is discussing opening the land border with Armenia within the next six months, eliminating the last closed border in Europe since the Cold War, Bloomberg reported.
Radar Armenia spoke to Turkologist Andranik Ispiryan on the topic.
-Why did Turkey start these discussions right now?
-Whenever the border has been closed, these discussions are constantly taking place. But history has shown that Turkey adheres to the principle that the border will not be opened until relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan are normalized. It is a matter of seconds; there is no need for discussion. All Turkey needs to do is say, "We are opening it," and the Armenian side is ready. Moreover, the Turkish side has not done any technical work on the other side. To address the potential flow of citizens from both countries and properly serve them, our side has completed the necessary work. Since March of last year, it has been fully ready for service, while Turkey has not. We are talking about citizens of third countries.
-What impact could the opening of the Turkey-Armenia border have on Armenia's domestic politics, especially ahead of the elections?
-Everyone wanted to open the border. Of course, there were slight differences in context; we were in a different situation. The opening itself is not a bad thing; it is a normal phenomenon, but the problem is that there are many unresolved issues and challenges that the state should consider in advance before opening the borders, taking economic factors into account.
Lilit Abrahamyan
