COMMODITY TURNOVER BETWEEN ARMENIA AND TURKEY IN 2004 MADE $120 BILLION

The commodity circulation between Armenia and Turkey in 2004 made about $120 billion, Kaan Soyak, the Co-Chairman of the Armenian-Turkish Relations Development Council, stated in Yerevan today. According to him, before the formation of the Council in 1997 the turnover made no more than $60 million. He says, in case of opening of the Armenian-Turkish border the turnover can increase at least three times. Kaan Soyak stated he is for soonest opening of the border and invited representatives of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun to Turkey for establishing dialogue on urgent issues. “The ARFD is a serious and experienced party and if they agree I am ready to exert every effort to start this dialogue”, he noted. When touching upon the Armenian Genocide Soyak said that Turks began speaking of it during the recent 2-3 years. “Our organization will do its best to make the historical truth clear to the Turkish people”, he stated. It should be noted that when commenting on the killings of 1915 in the Ottoman Empire the Turkish businessman used the word “genocide”.