December 28, 2009 - 16:04 AMT
Armenian-Turkish border not to open until April 2010
Armenian-Turkish border will not open until April 2010. Turkey is a key stakeholder in the region and much depends on its actions, Stratfor expert on Eurasian affairs Marco Papik finds. "In case Turley continues normalizing ties with Armenia without previously consulting with Azerbaijan, we may face a serious crisis in 2010. A key question in the region will be Karabakh conflict. Nagorno Karabakh may become justification for conflicts, as was the case in Bosnia prior to the 1914 World War I," the expert noted.

According to him, everything in the region depends on whether Turkey will wish to conclude deal with Armenia without Azerbaijan and whether Russia will allow the latter to use its military might to return Karabakh independently. "Turkey is strengthening its positions, becoming a serious stakeholder on global level. The country's moves towards Armenia are aimed at intensifying its influence in the Caucasus and beyond its borders," he said, 1news.az reported.