Independent: Armenia emerging from troubled times

PanARMENIAN.Net - Independent has published an article titled "Armenia's latest struggle - the battle for tourists."



"This country is emerging from troubled times. The ceasefire is holding with Azerbaijan and the border with Turkey is due to reopen. Now it's welcoming new visitors," Mark Leftly writes in his article, which goes on:



"Armenia and its easterly neighbor, Azerbaijan, are technically still at war over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Most importantly, Armenia's old enemy to the west, Turkey, supported Azerbaijan and closed its 330km (205 mile) long border with the land-locked country. Finally, in October, some real progress was made on economic and diplomatic co-operation between the countries, with the signing of protocols that will soon open up a common border.



A result of cultural and religious tension, the genocide is generally said to have started in 1915 in the wake of divided Armenian loyalties in the First World War. The museum's fluent English-speaking guide shows me exhibits related to Armenians who had won Olympic medals for the Ottomans in 1912, and then a gruesome photograph of their countrymen being hanged by that empire in Aleppo four years later. There are proclamations condemning genocide from international leaders, including a recent letter from California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.



Turkey denies Armenia's version of events, and it is this that divides Yerevan today. Unless Turkey acknowledges the genocide, many Armenians do not want to sign any agreement with their old enemy. Interestingly, the museum's guide does not take this view. "It is natural for neighbors to have good relations in a global world," it says."