Border opening not to be perceived as present to Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net - "Border opening should not be perceived as award or present to Armenia. That's the least Turkey can do, so there's no need to praise the country for that," Richard Giragosyan, Head of Armenian Center for Strategic and National Research, told today a seminar devoted to "Armenian-Turkish relations: present and past". After recent meeting between Russian and Turkish premiers, information was spread that Turkey decided to open border to enable RA President to visit the country for watching Armenia-Turkey football match.



"If that's the only reason for opening border, Armenia will gain no advantage of that," Giragosyan said.



Turkey's statement in that regard is not only a spectacle for West and US, but also a demonstration of freezing in Turkish-Azerbaijani relations, something that is advantageous to Armenia. "Turkey is no longer dependant on Azerbaijan. Moreover, normalization of ties with Armenia doesn't mean Ankara has finally decided to acknowledge the historical truth. Turkey simply wants to show that it has more influence in the region," the expert noted.



Giragosyan also shared impressions of his recent visit to Istanbul. "Turkish side's actions come to prove that the country has no intention to open border," he said.



"The important thing in such case is overcoming borders in people's mentality," he noted, adding that recent talks on normalization of ties has stirred up more frequent discussions over Armenian Genocide in Turkish society.