Kars business chief eyes Armenia flower imports

PanARMENIAN.Net - The president of the Kars Chamber of Commerce and Industry says normalization between Armenia and Turkey could expand regional trade, including possible imports of Armenian flowers into Turkey.

Kadir Bozan, president of the Kars Chamber of Commerce and Industry, met Armenian and Turkish journalists visiting Kars under an exchange program and discussed the possible opening of the Armenia-Turkey border, the normalization of bilateral relations, and expected developments in the near future.

Speaking about potential economic cooperation, Bozan said Armenia could become a new supplier of flowers imported into Turkey, according to Region Monitor.

He stressed that progress toward normalizing Armenia-Azerbaijan relations has also accelerated efforts to normalize ties between Armenia and Turkey.

"We hope that once Armenia-Azerbaijan relations are normalized, Armenia-Turkey relations will also be fully normalized. In that case, we will no longer need to use routes through Georgia. We will have a direct connection with Armenia," Bozan said.

He added that work at the Alican border crossing is nearly complete, while construction at Akyaka is progressing rapidly. Initially, only the railway was expected to reopen, but there are now indications that the road crossing may also be opened.

"In my opinion, the Alican-Margara and Akyaka-Akhurik crossings will open simultaneously," he said.

Asked by Region Monitor why the border-opening process has been progressing slowly, Bozan replied that political decisions fall within the authority of governments, while from the perspective of the business community he no longer sees significant obstacles. In his view, reopening the border would benefit not only Armenia and Turkey but the entire region.

"Opening the border with Armenia would also create a transit route to Central Asia. That would be a major opportunity for both Turkey and Armenia, and for the entire region," he said.

Discussing Armenian-Turkish economic cooperation, Bozan recalled that an Armenian-Turkish business forum was held in Kars on June 2. The event was organized by Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey, and regional chambers of commerce. According to Bozan, Kars hosted 57 business representatives from Armenia working in the textile, mining, construction materials, food, and beverage sectors. He described the forum as one of the first initiatives of its kind between the business communities of the two countries.

Asked whether Armenia could become a supplier of flowers to the Turkish market following restrictions affecting the Russian market, Bozan said the issue had already been discussed during the business forum in Kars. According to him, one of Turkey's largest flower-exporting companies attended the meeting, had already received samples from the Armenian side, and had begun negotiations.

"We know that because of problems in the Russian market, part of Armenia's flower production has remained unsold. The flowers of Armenia are among the most beautiful I have ever seen. However, logistics and customs procedures are crucial. If flowers remain at customs even for one day, they may lose their quality," Bozan said.

He added that storage, transportation, and customs clearance procedures must be fully clarified before shipments begin, after which cooperation could be expanded.

According to Bozan, negotiations between several companies continued even after the forum.

"For example, the president of the Shirak Chamber of Commerce and Industry requested a price quotation for 2,000 military blankets. In addition, we know that a Yerevan-based company is preparing to sign a contract with a company in Kars for the supply of building insulation materials," he said, adding that these agreements are expected to be finalized in the near future.

Bozan also announced that an Armenian-Turkish business forum is planned in Yerevan in September, noting that he had submitted two requests to the foreign ministries of Armenia and Turkey.

"First, there should be no limit on the number of business representatives from Kars wishing to participate. Second, if you want to see us in Yerevan, we should travel through the Dogukapi-Akhurik border crossing. We want to draw attention to that crossing," he said.

Bozan also thanked Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for what he described as his efforts to promote peace and regional cooperation.

"I would like to thank Mr. Pashinyan for his efforts on this issue. I hope the entire region — Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the whole Caucasus — will soon reap the benefits," Bozan concluded.

Russia has imposed restrictions on imports of several products from Armenia. These include Jermuk mineral water, flowers, certain alcoholic beverages, a number of agricultural products such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and strawberries, as well as cherries, apricots, peaches, plums, grapes, other stone fruits, eggplants, potatoes, dried fruits, and their transit to other Eurasian Economic Union member states.