Armenian-Turkish border will remain closed until Turkey's de jure recognition of Republic of ArmeniaSeptember 13, 2007 - 16:50 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - "There is a habit to think that everything will go well after the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border. It won't. Open border is just a result of normalization of the Armenia-Turkey relations. I am confident that our Foreign Ministry has chosen the right way. Turkey says it recognized independent Armenia in 1992. However, it was de facto recognition only," diplomat and historian Ara Papian said in an interview with PanARMENIAN.Net "We should not forget about security issues either. If the border problem is settled in compliance with the arbitration award, Armenia can raise the issue of demilitarization of Turkey's near-border provinces, what supposes presence of international observers and exclusion of any aggression against Armenia," he continued. "The Kars-Akhalkalaki-Baku railroad is a menace, since Turkey obtains the possibility to supply Azerbaijan with weapons. The greater is amount of armament in the region, the more possible is war. All are interested in stability in the region, except for Turkey, which hasn't identified itself so far and is terrified by the outlook to lose territories. The idea of territorial integrity, so artificially cherished by the government, will sooner or later lead to decline of the state," he said. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. |