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Agence France Presse
July 22, 2011 Friday 11:59 AM GMT
Armenians, Turks sign trade deal despite enmity
YEREVAN, July 22 2011
Businessmen from Armenia and Turkey on Friday signed a deal to promote
mutual trade and tourism despite continuing deadlock in the process of
normalising relations between the longtime foes.
Around 30 Turkish businessmen were in Yerevan for the signing of the
agreement with counterparts from Armenia, hoping to ease future
collaboration if a political deal ultimately allows their mutual
border to reopen.
Contacts between businessmen offer "a platform for the development of
large-scale economic cooperation if the border between the countries
opens", the chairman of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs
of Armenia, Arsen Ghazarian, told reporters.
According to the Armenian-Turkish Business Council, the annual
bilateral trade turnover is more than $250 million despite the current
lack of a direct land route between the two countries.
Relations between the two countries have been poisoned by long-running
arguments over the mass killings of Armenians under the Ottoman
Empire, which Yerevan wants Ankara to recognise as genocide.
In 2009, they signed landmark accords to end decades of animosity,
establish diplomatic relations and reopen the border, but the effort
faltered and Armenia froze the ratification process of the accords.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kin fell victim to genocide
during World War I under the Ottoman Empire.
Turkey counters that 300,000 to 500,000 Armenians and at least as many
Turks died in civil strife when Armenians rose up against their
Ottoman rulers and sided with invading Russian forces.
mkh-emc/as/co
July 22, 2011 Friday 11:59 AM GMT
Armenians, Turks sign trade deal despite enmity
YEREVAN, July 22 2011
Businessmen from Armenia and Turkey on Friday signed a deal to promote
mutual trade and tourism despite continuing deadlock in the process of
normalising relations between the longtime foes.
Around 30 Turkish businessmen were in Yerevan for the signing of the
agreement with counterparts from Armenia, hoping to ease future
collaboration if a political deal ultimately allows their mutual
border to reopen.
Contacts between businessmen offer "a platform for the development of
large-scale economic cooperation if the border between the countries
opens", the chairman of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs
of Armenia, Arsen Ghazarian, told reporters.
According to the Armenian-Turkish Business Council, the annual
bilateral trade turnover is more than $250 million despite the current
lack of a direct land route between the two countries.
Relations between the two countries have been poisoned by long-running
arguments over the mass killings of Armenians under the Ottoman
Empire, which Yerevan wants Ankara to recognise as genocide.
In 2009, they signed landmark accords to end decades of animosity,
establish diplomatic relations and reopen the border, but the effort
faltered and Armenia froze the ratification process of the accords.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kin fell victim to genocide
during World War I under the Ottoman Empire.
Turkey counters that 300,000 to 500,000 Armenians and at least as many
Turks died in civil strife when Armenians rose up against their
Ottoman rulers and sided with invading Russian forces.
mkh-emc/as/co