1129) Armenian side: 70 percent of goods sold in Armenia are Turkish

No diplomatic relations exist between Turkey and Armenia. The border crossing at Doğukapı has been closed since 1993. But flights from Istanbul to Armenia's capital of Yerevan continue. Turkish-Armenian trade through Georgia and Iran amounts to $100 million annually. Out of the all goods sold in Armenian markets, 70 percent are of Turkish origin. Illegal immigrant workers from Armenia working in Turkey are estimated to number 70,000. The only city suffering from the closed border is the eastern Turkish city of Kars, whose residents wonder why their city should be the only one to bear the consequences. . .

Armenia's border with Turkey is closed. Its border with Azerbaijan is also closed because of its occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh. There are recurring problems in the south because of the Azeri population living in the north of Iran. Armenia is almost totally isolated.

Armenia wants Doğukapı to be reopened because it would make it once again a transit country to the Caucasus and Central Asia.

Turkey's indirect trade with Armenia consists primarily of food and construction materials. Turkey also imports, again indirectly, some raw materials from Armenia. The volume of Turkish imports from Armenia is estimated to be around $50 million annually.

Armenian profile
Form of government: republic
Area: 29,800 square kilometers
Population: officially 3 million, actually 1.5 million
Capital: Yerevan
Per capita income: $3,000

October 15, 2006
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