KATSO: WE WANT BORDER TO BE OPENED WITH ARMENIA

Saturday, 09 May 2009

The Kars Chamber of Industry and Commerce (KATSO) has always supported opening the border gates with Armenia, which are currently closed due to a conflict between Turkey and Armenia, KATSO Chairman Ali Güvensoy said on Friday. The Kars Chamber of Industry and Commerce (KATSO) has always supported opening the border gates with Armenia, which are currently closed due to a conflict between Turkey and Armenia, KATSO Chairman Ali Güvensoy said on Friday. Speaking to reporters in Kars, Güvensoy said the people of Kars -- and the entrepreneurs in the city, in particular -- wanted the border to be opened and relations with Armenia to be normalized. Underlining that the Armenian side should not evade its responsibility and should take steps to contribute to normalization, he said: “They should give up their ‘so-called’ genocide claims and end the occupation in Karabakh. Otherwise opening the borders will continue to be difficult for another decade.” Güvensoy said KATSO wanted to boost trade with Armenia and that they supported peaceful cooperation toward this end. “The planes that land in Armenia pass over Kars, Trabzon and Antalya. We want all gates be open to this country,” he opined. “At the same time, relations with Azerbaijan are also of the utmost importance. We dare not offend our brother nation,” he added. Turkey closed its borders with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with Azerbaijan after ethnic Armenian separatists, backed by Yerevan, occupied Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region. Azerbaijan has objected to Turkey's US-backed talks with Armenia because it wants to resolve the dispute with Armenia over the occupation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region before Turkey opens its borders to Armenia.