Yerevan-Van Flight To Be First Step To Opening Armenian-Turkish Bord

YEREVAN-VAN FLIGHT TO BE FIRST STEP TO OPENING ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER : ARMENIAN MP

YEREVAN, March 19. /ARKA/. The direct air contact between Yerevan
and Van (Turkey) will foster establishing the overland traffic and
further opening the Armenian-Turkish border, said Aragats Akhoyan,
Prosperous Armenia Party member.

Yerevan-Van first flight is scheduled for April 3. BoraJet Turkish
airlines will operate the flight on 68-seat planes. The ticket cost
is $250, but passengers can get a 20% discount during the first month.

“Through this flight we are getting linked to our historical
motherland, and along with this process we expect to accelerate the
other processes as well: opening of the overland traffic and the
border,” Akhoyan told reporters.

Gagik Gyurjyan, the chairman of Icomos-Armenia organization (Armenia’s
national committee at International Council on Monuments and
Sites), said this flight will be useful for businessmen in terms of
establishing business contacts. However, on the other hand, tourism
sector of Armenia will suffer.

“Nowadays, the Armenian companies offer tours to Western Armenia
through Javakhk thus activating trading and tourism life of the
region. Then tourists visit Ardagan, Kars, Igdir, Bayazet and other
places where they can enjoy the sightseeing ,” he said and added
that the new Yerevan-Van flight can reduce the tourist flows through
these route.

There are currently no diplomatic relations established between Turkey
and Armenia: official Ankara closed the border in 1993. The uneasy
relationship between the countries is caused particularly by Ankara’s
support to Azerbaijan on Karabakh problem and Turkey’s overreaction
to international recognition of the 1915 Armenian genocide in Ottoman
Empire.

Normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations started in fall 2008
initiated by Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan. On October 10,
2009, foreign ministers of Armenia and Turkey signed protocols about
establishing diplomatic relations and developing bilateral relations
to be ratified by the countries’ parliaments.

But on April 22, 2010 Armenian president signed a decree to suspend
the process as Turkey is not ready to go on as the ratification of
the protocols by Turkish parliament is frozen. -0-