Open Borders is Good

Political skirmishing continues, but it appears Turkey and Armenia will at last bury enough of their differences to reopen their border, with protocols for establishing relations set to be signed on 13 October. That should help tourism as well as trade on both sides of the very rural border, in the shadow of Mt. Ararat not far from the Armenian capital of Yerevan.

Turkish Airlines flies from Istanbul to Tbilisi and Baku, capitals of the other Caucasus countries, Georgia and Azerbaijan, but when we flew to Yerevan we had to catch a plane from Vienna. Anything that will facilitate freer movement of people through the cul de sac that Armenia has become is bound to improve the lot of its people.

The military transport vehicle in this photo, taken in the early morning light from the Khor Virap monastery in Armenia, is on a highway on the Turkish side of the border. See Khor Virap in Armenia, with Mt. Ararat in Turkey looming in the distance, in the Armenia Gallery at EarthPhotos.com.

(See also the Turkey Gallery, the Georgia Gallery and the Azerbaijan Gallery.)

Comments

[Dom]

"Anything that will facilitate freer movement of people through the cul de sac that Armenia has become is bound to improve the lot of its people."

Obviously you are not a reasonable human being. Armenia did not close the border. So why even write about what Armenia must do? Or is this an exercise in dumb and dumber?

[Bill]

Obviously, Dom.