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Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
March 4 2013
Armenian conductor waiting for that train for 20 years
by Mesut Hasan Benli
GYUMRI / Radikal
The halt of train services between Turkey and Armenia has created
several tragic human stories; one of them belongs to Agop Gevorgyan.
After train services were suspended, Gevorgyan was dismissed from his
job as a train conductor and made a guard at Akhuryan train station.
There were regular train services between the Akhuryan Train Station
in the Armenian city of Gyumri and Turkey's DoÄ?u Kapı (East Gate)
station in Kars province. However, upon the closure of the
Turkey-Armenia border, train services were halted in 1993. With this
suspension, serious victims of tragic human stories emerged both on
the Turkish side and the Armenian side.
Friendships formed
Agop Gevorgyan was conducting the train to Kars' DoÄ?u Kapı Station
every day for years. He carried the goods loaded from Armenia to
Turkey. From Turkey, he would bring various food items to his country.
During those trips Agop Gevorgyan became friends with many people,
primarily with an official named Å?ükrü at the DoÄ?u Kapı station in
Turkey. In March 1993, while Agop Gevorgyan was preparing for a Kars
trip, he received an order, `You will not go today, services have been
halted.'
Gevorgyan first thought this would be a short-lived decision and
expected the border to be opened soon. He waited for the start of
train services with hope. Days went by and the order of `start
services' never came. Gevorgyan's train never left the station to
Kars. However, Gevorgyan never abandoned the Akhuryan train station.
Because there were no train services, he was dismissed as a conductor
and was made a guard. He said, `After the services were halted I
started working as a guard in this station. Our time was spent
sitting, most of the time idly. For 20 years we have been waiting for
the train services to start. Over there, there are the lights of
Turkey. We have been watching those lights for 20 years and waiting
for the border to reopen. People in the Akhurik village situated
around this station moved away.'
`We have lost Å?ükrü'
With the closure of the border, Gevorgyan explained, those friendships
he had formed in Turkey also ended: `I had a friend named Å?ükrü in
Turkey. On those trips to Turkey, we would always get together.
We would meet each other every day. Å?ükrü was a good friend of mine
but when the border was closed, our connection was cut. I learned a
few years ago that Å?ükrü had died. I was very sad. I would have wanted
to see him again.' Gevorgyan said he was hopefully waiting for the
train services to start.
`It is very boring for us now to wait the entire day. ... It is time
the border opens and I go back and forth to Turkey with my train.'
March/04/2013
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/armenian-conductor-waiting-for-that-train-for-20-years.aspx?pageID=238&nID=42254&NewsCatID=355
From: A. Papazian
March 4 2013
Armenian conductor waiting for that train for 20 years
by Mesut Hasan Benli
GYUMRI / Radikal
The halt of train services between Turkey and Armenia has created
several tragic human stories; one of them belongs to Agop Gevorgyan.
After train services were suspended, Gevorgyan was dismissed from his
job as a train conductor and made a guard at Akhuryan train station.
There were regular train services between the Akhuryan Train Station
in the Armenian city of Gyumri and Turkey's DoÄ?u Kapı (East Gate)
station in Kars province. However, upon the closure of the
Turkey-Armenia border, train services were halted in 1993. With this
suspension, serious victims of tragic human stories emerged both on
the Turkish side and the Armenian side.
Friendships formed
Agop Gevorgyan was conducting the train to Kars' DoÄ?u Kapı Station
every day for years. He carried the goods loaded from Armenia to
Turkey. From Turkey, he would bring various food items to his country.
During those trips Agop Gevorgyan became friends with many people,
primarily with an official named Å?ükrü at the DoÄ?u Kapı station in
Turkey. In March 1993, while Agop Gevorgyan was preparing for a Kars
trip, he received an order, `You will not go today, services have been
halted.'
Gevorgyan first thought this would be a short-lived decision and
expected the border to be opened soon. He waited for the start of
train services with hope. Days went by and the order of `start
services' never came. Gevorgyan's train never left the station to
Kars. However, Gevorgyan never abandoned the Akhuryan train station.
Because there were no train services, he was dismissed as a conductor
and was made a guard. He said, `After the services were halted I
started working as a guard in this station. Our time was spent
sitting, most of the time idly. For 20 years we have been waiting for
the train services to start. Over there, there are the lights of
Turkey. We have been watching those lights for 20 years and waiting
for the border to reopen. People in the Akhurik village situated
around this station moved away.'
`We have lost Å?ükrü'
With the closure of the border, Gevorgyan explained, those friendships
he had formed in Turkey also ended: `I had a friend named Å?ükrü in
Turkey. On those trips to Turkey, we would always get together.
We would meet each other every day. Å?ükrü was a good friend of mine
but when the border was closed, our connection was cut. I learned a
few years ago that Å?ükrü had died. I was very sad. I would have wanted
to see him again.' Gevorgyan said he was hopefully waiting for the
train services to start.
`It is very boring for us now to wait the entire day. ... It is time
the border opens and I go back and forth to Turkey with my train.'
March/04/2013
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/armenian-conductor-waiting-for-that-train-for-20-years.aspx?pageID=238&nID=42254&NewsCatID=355
From: A. Papazian