Residents of Turkey's border region, who remember what their daily lives were like decades ago when the border was open, are now waiting for a decision from the authorities and hoping that the borders will be reopened.
“Opening the border would be very good, very good. We have been wanting this border to open for years. So that we can have good friendly relations and our travels can be peaceful,” they say.
However, the agreements reached in the framework of normalizing Armenian-Turkish relations have not yet been implemented. Years ago, the parties agreed to open the borders for citizens of third countries. So far, there has been no news.
People living on this side of the border remember how they used to interact with Armenians and now believe that opening the border would give new life to the region:
“Today we live in the eastern part of the country, in the very last city. There are no other cities after this. The opening of this border will have a significant impact on our province, the people of the region, small entrepreneurs, and trade. Today, our businessmen want to invest here.”
However, a Turkish official emphasizes that a political decision is needed.
In early June, more than 50 Armenian businessmen visited Kars, hosted by the president of the Kars Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Kadir Bozen. According to him, during the joint forum, mutually interesting sectors were highlighted:
“About 57 businessmen from Armenia attended the meeting, representing various sectors - textiles, mining, construction materials, food, and floral business. The interactions were very productive, and there are already some practical discussions and agreements. The main and priority sectors are regional tourism, restoration (building rehabilitation), food industry, construction, and textiles.”
