The program “Assistance to Armenia-Turkey relations amelioration” recently was brought to its end. This program had two components: economics and civic society. The results were announced today by the president of the Armenian industrialists and businessmen association Arsen Ghazaryan.
Ghazaryan stated that a thorough examination was needed after the blockade of 90s and onwards on Armenian-Turkish relations. As a result, the Turkish government’s strategies were aimed at inserting negative attitude towards Armenia but despite the political stance the business relations happen. As an example, Ghazaryan mentioned the 243 thousand dollars income for Turkey as a result of the Turkish services access. Ghazaryan mentioned they had supporters of this initiative in Turkey and together they will have the agreement to import Turkish goods via Georgian border – the same goods that are exported from Turkey to Europe. As Ghazaryan states, they have reached a point where an agreement will be verified to represent a package of proposals including Yerevan-Van flights which are quite possible. The spokesman also mentioned the work they have carried out to improve media accessibility for each other which the both sides highlight very much.
Ghazaryan spoke about the human development international center which carried out examinations in the most difficult areas observing and analyzing state – civic society relations.
Ghazaryan concluded his speech stating that Turkey made its way even difficult to approach the EU with the freezing of the protocols. Their aim in this process was to have more transparent perspectives of these processes for two sides and have both Turkish and Armenian civic society as a part of it. The spokesman said the program is officially over but the experience they had had so far should be continuous in its acquiring so that to show Turkey its faults in politics and try to improve Armenian-Turkish relations.
