Armenia, Turkish businessmen lobbying borders openingJuly 22, 2011 - 14:06 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Director of Support to Armenia-Turkey Rapprochement project Arthur Ghazaryan is confident that closed borders must not become impediment for development of trade-economic relations between two countries. “Two countries businesses’ lobbying can result in understanding of political forces to decide on opening it,” Ghazaryan said July 22 during business-to-business meeting hosted by USTID and Eurasia Partnership Foundation. A delegation from Van, a city situated on historical territories of Western Armenia, including 27 businessmen arrived in Yerevan on a working visit headed by director of Van branch of TURSAB, Van Trade and Industry Chamber board member Abdullah Tuncdemir. Among perspective branches for bilateral cooperation the project director pointed out such spheres as tourism, industry, transport, IT, agriculture, textile industry and construction. “Creation of joint ventures would be the best model of cooperation,” he said. As Ghazaryan said, today Armenia’s import from Turkey ($300 mln.) several times exceeds its export ($160 thous.). “It is well worth to smooth over this misbalance,” he added. At the end of the meeting the parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding on creation of “Association of Armenian and Turkish tourist companies”. Top stories Yerevan has dismissed Turkey’s demand to shut down the Armenian nuclear power plant as “inappropriate”. Armenia will loan 2.9 billion drams to Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), according to a draft government decision. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan has “strongly condemned” Armenia’s decision. Kerobyan has said that for the first time in the history of Armenia, the volume of foreign direct investments amounted to about $1 billion. Partner news | Lavrov sees ‘collapse’ of Russia’s ties with Armenia Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has underscored heightened tensions between Russia and Armenia. Russia clarifying reports on Baku’s alleged arms supply to Ukraine Russia says is carefully working to verify reports about alleged arms supplies from Azerbaijan to Ukraine Russia warns Armenia against “falling into West’s trap” Zakharova maintained, however, that anything that will benefit the people of Armenia can only be welcomed. CSTO: Armenia has not participated in secretariat’s work recently Recently Armenia has not participated in the work of the secretariat of the CSTO, Imangali Tasmagambetov said. |