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Panorama.am
17:26 23/08/2008
Call of the civil society representatives upon the Governments in
Ankara, Baku, Tbilisi and Yerevan
A number of Civil Society Organizations from Armenia, Turkey, Georgia
and the USA have signed a statement urging to open the
Turkish-Armenian border for at least 10-15 days.
`Open up to your neighbors!'
Call of the civil society representatives upon the Governments in
Ankara, Baku, Tbilisi and Yerevan.
The war in Georgia has left the countries of the South Caucasus
struggling with substantial risks and challenges. As a consequence of
the recent crisis, which further exacerbated an impasse created by the
existence of the protracted conflicts, the region is deprived of a
vital vain to transport goods through the countries of the
region. That is a matter of our strongest concern. The railroad
running through Georgia is practically useless today because of the
destruction of the bridge near Gori, whereas reconstruction is being
delayed for different reasons. This situation and its consequences
threaten to deprive people in our countries of their basic rights and
endanger their hopes for stability, security and prosperity.
This crisis should make us assess the situation realistically and
initiate a new age of cooperation. The Governments in Ankara, Baku,
Tbilisi and Yerevan have a unique chance to prove their credentials of
good neighbors willing to contribute positively to the regional peace
and stability. We request them to take a collective action and unblock
immediately railroad communication networks in the region.
We made our own calculations that we would like to share with the
public. Any train can reach from Samsun on the Black Sea coast of
Turkey to Yerevan in 34 hours, to Tbilisi in 36 hours and to Baku in
49 hours. From Mersin, which is on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey,
it will take 37, 39 and 52 hours respectively. This simple. The
railroad can become functional in few hours, once a political decision
is made.
Thus, we urge to open the Turkish-Armenian border at least for 10-15
days to address the urgency in the Caucasus.
For years we have been engaged in Track Two Diplomacy projects and
have been able to build excellent working relations with our
colleagues across those borders. Having enjoyed the positive
experience of cooperation, we would like to take this opportunity to
call upon the Governments in Ankara, Baku, Tbilisi and Yerevan to
reconsider their positions on that matter. We urge our leaders to
demonstrate their statecraft in these times of turbulence and
uncertainty and prevent possible escalation of distrust in this
region.
Signatories:
Tevan Poghosyan, International Center for Human Development, Armenia
Noyan Soyak, Turkish-Armenian Business Development Council, Turkey
Natela Sakhokia, Strategic research Centre, Georgia
David L. Phillips, Columbia University, Visiting Scholar, Center for
the Study of Human Rights
Co-Director, Study Group on U.S.-Russian and Georgian Relations, the USA
Dr. Murat Cagatay, GAYA Research Institute, Turkey
Artush Lazarian, Chairman, Caucasian Center for Proposing
Non-Traditional Conflict Resolution Methods, Gyumri, Armenia
Guran Abashidze, Caucasus Business and Development Network, Tbilisi, Georgia
Klara Galstyan, Director, Gyumri Development Foundation, Armenia
Levon Barseghyan, `Asparez' Journalist Club, Gyumri, Armenia
Alu Gamakharia, Caucasus Business and Development Network, Kutaisi, Georgia
Betty J. Sitka, American University, Center for Global Peace, the USA "
Source: Panorama.am
17:26 23/08/2008
Call of the civil society representatives upon the Governments in
Ankara, Baku, Tbilisi and Yerevan
A number of Civil Society Organizations from Armenia, Turkey, Georgia
and the USA have signed a statement urging to open the
Turkish-Armenian border for at least 10-15 days.
`Open up to your neighbors!'
Call of the civil society representatives upon the Governments in
Ankara, Baku, Tbilisi and Yerevan.
The war in Georgia has left the countries of the South Caucasus
struggling with substantial risks and challenges. As a consequence of
the recent crisis, which further exacerbated an impasse created by the
existence of the protracted conflicts, the region is deprived of a
vital vain to transport goods through the countries of the
region. That is a matter of our strongest concern. The railroad
running through Georgia is practically useless today because of the
destruction of the bridge near Gori, whereas reconstruction is being
delayed for different reasons. This situation and its consequences
threaten to deprive people in our countries of their basic rights and
endanger their hopes for stability, security and prosperity.
This crisis should make us assess the situation realistically and
initiate a new age of cooperation. The Governments in Ankara, Baku,
Tbilisi and Yerevan have a unique chance to prove their credentials of
good neighbors willing to contribute positively to the regional peace
and stability. We request them to take a collective action and unblock
immediately railroad communication networks in the region.
We made our own calculations that we would like to share with the
public. Any train can reach from Samsun on the Black Sea coast of
Turkey to Yerevan in 34 hours, to Tbilisi in 36 hours and to Baku in
49 hours. From Mersin, which is on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey,
it will take 37, 39 and 52 hours respectively. This simple. The
railroad can become functional in few hours, once a political decision
is made.
Thus, we urge to open the Turkish-Armenian border at least for 10-15
days to address the urgency in the Caucasus.
For years we have been engaged in Track Two Diplomacy projects and
have been able to build excellent working relations with our
colleagues across those borders. Having enjoyed the positive
experience of cooperation, we would like to take this opportunity to
call upon the Governments in Ankara, Baku, Tbilisi and Yerevan to
reconsider their positions on that matter. We urge our leaders to
demonstrate their statecraft in these times of turbulence and
uncertainty and prevent possible escalation of distrust in this
region.
Signatories:
Tevan Poghosyan, International Center for Human Development, Armenia
Noyan Soyak, Turkish-Armenian Business Development Council, Turkey
Natela Sakhokia, Strategic research Centre, Georgia
David L. Phillips, Columbia University, Visiting Scholar, Center for
the Study of Human Rights
Co-Director, Study Group on U.S.-Russian and Georgian Relations, the USA
Dr. Murat Cagatay, GAYA Research Institute, Turkey
Artush Lazarian, Chairman, Caucasian Center for Proposing
Non-Traditional Conflict Resolution Methods, Gyumri, Armenia
Guran Abashidze, Caucasus Business and Development Network, Tbilisi, Georgia
Klara Galstyan, Director, Gyumri Development Foundation, Armenia
Levon Barseghyan, `Asparez' Journalist Club, Gyumri, Armenia
Alu Gamakharia, Caucasus Business and Development Network, Kutaisi, Georgia
Betty J. Sitka, American University, Center for Global Peace, the USA "
Source: Panorama.am