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Today's Zaman , Turkey
March 9 2012
CHP deputy criticizes government on border gate with Georgia
9 March 2012 / AYDIN ALBAYRAK, ANKARA
A deputy from the main opposition party has criticized the government
over its failure to open a border gate with Georgia built in 1995 in
the northeastern province of Ardahan.
In an effort to bring the matter to public attention, Republican
People's Party (CHP) Ardahan deputy Ensar Ã-Ä?üt submitted a written
question to Parliament. Frustrated with the slow progress on the
issue, he told Today's Zaman that he is also planning to request an
appointment with President Abdullah Gül to get his support for the
opening of the border gate.
The AktaÅ? border gate to Georgia is still not in service, although the
border facilities were already put in place in 1995 by the Turkish
side.
Ã-Ä?üt stresses that the AktaÅ? gate in Ã?ıldır, a small town in Ardahan
province, will be very profitable for Turkey both economically and
strategically. `The AktaÅ? gate will shorten the land route from Turkey
to Azerbaijan to 186 kilometers, or an hour-and-a-half,' he notes. He
strongly believes the gate will increase border trade immensely,
thereby allowing the provinces of Ardahan, Kars and IÄ?dır to see
economic improvement. `The gate will play a major role in the
development of the whole of Eastern Anatolia,' he adds.
He expects the number of people traveling by road to reach Turkey not
only from Azerbaijan and other Turkic states but also from Armenia to
significantly increase when the gate is opened. Ã-Ä?üt is also convinced
that the gate will positively influence the relations between Turks
and Armenians. `The AktaÅ? border gate is only 30 kilometers from
Armenia, as opposed to the Sarp border gate, which is quite far away.
So Armenians will be able to come to Turkey to shop and visit easily,
the Turkish-Armenian border being closed, and that will help the two
peoples get to know each other better,' he added. Such a series of
events will for Turkey have a strategic benefit as well, as the
Armenian diaspora will lose one of its arguments, which condemns
Turkey for keeping its border closed with Armenia, he notes.
Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç, in an answer to Ã-Ä?üt's written
question on March 6 in Parliament, said Turkey put the AktaÅ? gate in
service in 1995, but that the Georgian side only completed its part of
the border gate in mid 2011, leading to the major delay. But now the
border facilities on the Turkish side need to be rebuilt because the
service buildings and the border area are no longer in physically good
condition. They also need to be enlarged. Arınç says the government is
cooperating with the Customs and Tourism Enterprises Co. Inc. (Gümrük
ve Turizm Ä°Å?letmeleri Ticaret Anonim Å?irketi), a subsidiary of the
Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB), to take the
necessary steps. `To this end, purchasing private land in adjacent
areas is nearly complete,' he noted. `With the finalization of this
process, the construction project will start, and the border gate is
planned to be opened in 2012,' Arınç said.
But Ã-Ä?üt does not seem convinced, and feels the government is just
delaying action. He criticizes the government for transferring the
responsibility and cost of building the new border gate to the Customs
and Tourism Enterprises Co. Inc. `The TOBB only looks at the matter
from an economic perspective and does not seem to be willing to invest
money needed to build a brand new border gate. But this gate, which
will also shorten travel time to Azerbaijan and other Turkic states
through Georgia, is of strategic importance,' he said. He is hopeful
the president will take care of the matter, but if things do not
improve, he even plans to stage a demonstration in front of the AktaÅ?
gate in protest.
Today's Zaman's calls to the Customs and Tourism Enterprises Co. Inc.,
were not returned.
From: Baghdasarian
March 9 2012
CHP deputy criticizes government on border gate with Georgia
9 March 2012 / AYDIN ALBAYRAK, ANKARA
A deputy from the main opposition party has criticized the government
over its failure to open a border gate with Georgia built in 1995 in
the northeastern province of Ardahan.
In an effort to bring the matter to public attention, Republican
People's Party (CHP) Ardahan deputy Ensar Ã-Ä?üt submitted a written
question to Parliament. Frustrated with the slow progress on the
issue, he told Today's Zaman that he is also planning to request an
appointment with President Abdullah Gül to get his support for the
opening of the border gate.
The AktaÅ? border gate to Georgia is still not in service, although the
border facilities were already put in place in 1995 by the Turkish
side.
Ã-Ä?üt stresses that the AktaÅ? gate in Ã?ıldır, a small town in Ardahan
province, will be very profitable for Turkey both economically and
strategically. `The AktaÅ? gate will shorten the land route from Turkey
to Azerbaijan to 186 kilometers, or an hour-and-a-half,' he notes. He
strongly believes the gate will increase border trade immensely,
thereby allowing the provinces of Ardahan, Kars and IÄ?dır to see
economic improvement. `The gate will play a major role in the
development of the whole of Eastern Anatolia,' he adds.
He expects the number of people traveling by road to reach Turkey not
only from Azerbaijan and other Turkic states but also from Armenia to
significantly increase when the gate is opened. Ã-Ä?üt is also convinced
that the gate will positively influence the relations between Turks
and Armenians. `The AktaÅ? border gate is only 30 kilometers from
Armenia, as opposed to the Sarp border gate, which is quite far away.
So Armenians will be able to come to Turkey to shop and visit easily,
the Turkish-Armenian border being closed, and that will help the two
peoples get to know each other better,' he added. Such a series of
events will for Turkey have a strategic benefit as well, as the
Armenian diaspora will lose one of its arguments, which condemns
Turkey for keeping its border closed with Armenia, he notes.
Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç, in an answer to Ã-Ä?üt's written
question on March 6 in Parliament, said Turkey put the AktaÅ? gate in
service in 1995, but that the Georgian side only completed its part of
the border gate in mid 2011, leading to the major delay. But now the
border facilities on the Turkish side need to be rebuilt because the
service buildings and the border area are no longer in physically good
condition. They also need to be enlarged. Arınç says the government is
cooperating with the Customs and Tourism Enterprises Co. Inc. (Gümrük
ve Turizm Ä°Å?letmeleri Ticaret Anonim Å?irketi), a subsidiary of the
Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB), to take the
necessary steps. `To this end, purchasing private land in adjacent
areas is nearly complete,' he noted. `With the finalization of this
process, the construction project will start, and the border gate is
planned to be opened in 2012,' Arınç said.
But Ã-Ä?üt does not seem convinced, and feels the government is just
delaying action. He criticizes the government for transferring the
responsibility and cost of building the new border gate to the Customs
and Tourism Enterprises Co. Inc. `The TOBB only looks at the matter
from an economic perspective and does not seem to be willing to invest
money needed to build a brand new border gate. But this gate, which
will also shorten travel time to Azerbaijan and other Turkic states
through Georgia, is of strategic importance,' he said. He is hopeful
the president will take care of the matter, but if things do not
improve, he even plans to stage a demonstration in front of the AktaÅ?
gate in protest.
Today's Zaman's calls to the Customs and Tourism Enterprises Co. Inc.,
were not returned.
From: Baghdasarian