Turkish goods flood Armenia despite tensions, closed border


YEREVAN, Sept 9 (AFP): Barreling along at breakneck speeds, Turkish trucks loaded with goods are a common sight on the winding highways of Armenia, showing that for many Armenians the desire for a bargain outweighs historic hatred.

"What's important for me are the quality and the price of the goods, not where they come from," said 32-year-old Yerevan resident Suren, who recently bought a Turkish-made washing machine.

Turkish goods are flooding into Armenia despite a long history of antagonism between Armenians and Turks, closed borders and major diplomatic tensions between Ankara and Yerevan.

Only 25 kilometres (15 miles) from the Turkish border, Yerevan should be a short drive for the truckers. But with Armenia under a Turkish trade embargo and the border sealed, they instead have to follow a long, circuitous route through neighbouring Georgia to haul home appliances, building materials and other goods to Yerevan.

Turkey banned exports to Armenia and closed the border in 1993 in a show of solidarity with close ally Azerbaijan, which was at war with Armenia-backed separatists over the territory of Nagorny Karabakh.

Also angered by Armenia's campaign for the international recognition of mass killings of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire as genocide, Ankara has also refused to establish diplomatic ties with Yerevan.

Yet at the main border crossing between Armenia and Georgia, the queue of Turkish trucks headed for Yerevan can often stretch for more than a kilometre (mile). To get around the embargo, the goods officially change hands in Georgia, through middlemen or shell companies established by Turkish exporters.

"There is a huge quantity of Turkish goods today in Armenia," said Gagik Kocharian, the head of the trade department at Armenia's ministry of trade and economic development.

Home appliances, building materials, household goods, clothes and paper products are the most common Turkish items sold in Armenia, he said, and sales of those goods rose 40 per cent in 2006.

Many consumers, Kocharian said, are indifferent to whether the goods they are buying are Turkish. "People buy brands and very often are not interested or do not know where a product is made," he said.

Many business leaders on both sides are urging the Armenian and Turkish governments to work to end the embargo and re-open the border.

"There is great interest from companies on both sides in doing business with each other. It would be very beneficial for both countries to re-open the border," said Kaan Soyak, the Turkish co-chairman of the Turkish-Armenian Business Development

Council. Re-opening the border would not only give Armenian exporters easier access to Western markets, but also add to export routes for Turkish companies targeting Azerbaijan and Central Asia, he said. "Unfortunately, the political establishments on both sides benefit from the status quo," he said.

If we don't export soon as much as we will import then Armenia will go down the drain... Our factories are closed, machineries are outdated and industries in Armenia are practically non existent. I hope our oligarch government is well aware of this and hope they might forget their personal interests for a change...

At least in your few words,showing you DO NOT HAVE A ECONOMIST MIND.

THEN WHY YOU ARE INTERFERING.

ECONOMY IS THE JOB OF 99 PC POLITICIAN,and the rest Economician.

Have you been to Armenia?

Yesterday I was in Hoktemberian and next to a Grape fram ,we enjoyed a typical Armenian day,(DD ko deghe datark arink).

Ok then what you want to say by the way????

You are accusing me about my ignorance concerning economy. I'm not an economist but you don't have to be a genius to have some opinion when you see abandoned and empty factories in Armenia, when you see rampant unemployment outside Yerevan where most of the young wander in the streets smoking without any job. When you see already so many articles with "Made in Turkey" on them. I haven't see any product made in Armenia, there must be some but it doesn't meet Turkey's exports yet. When you meet technicians, electrical engineers sweeping restaurant washroom floors. With run down hospitals. And this rampant corruption which is suffocating Armenia. (For example during Soviet era Armenia was specialized in electronics). When the level of education is much lower presently.
Our factories should start producing again. You don't have to be a Greenspan to see all this! I'm much more nationalist than you for many reasons which it will be too long to enumerate, but putting our head in the sand won't solve any problems our country is having presently.

I have enjoyed maaaaaaaaany typical days in Armenia. So what?
It saddens me to write these lines but that's the truth. I know Armenia is only 17 years old democratic country and it will take time to correct all this "tragedy".

Have a great day.

"Our factories should start producing again. You don't have to be a Greenspan to see all this! I'm much more nationalist than you for many reasons which it will be too long to enumerate, but putting our head in the sand won't solve any problems our country is having presently.

I have enjoyed maaaaaaaaany typical days in Armenia. So what?
It saddens me to write these lines but that's the truth. I know Armenia is only 17 years old democratic country and it will take time to correct all this "tragedy"."

BB:

1-10 TIMES you asked you were in Armenia,then you are replying so what? you are creasy

2-"Our factories should start producing again"
Then Why I am asking Your knowledge of Economy? only one of reasons we can not produce is,in a gangester land of Armenia,since there is no transparency the Dollar should be change possible above $= 2000 AMD.

A strong currency mean,the oligrach policy is " Export substitute",which means by cheap Dollar convert, it is better Import rather than Export .

Producing mean keeping regular people to remain in Armenia, not leaving Armenia.
Importing mean,destroy Export,and policy of " keep consumers happy" rather than " keep producer happy"

$ = 302 means,forget producing.
302 means,destroy country
302 means maxmise foreign "Corporate dominance " in Armenia
302 means ......
302 means ''''

3-"I know Armenia is only 17 years old democratic country "

If would you please explain Democratic country principles?