YEREVAN. – Turkey does not have sufficient incentives for opening its border with Armenia, Caucasus Institute Director, political scientist Alexander Iskandaryan said during a press conference on Monday. 

The analyst commented on the statements that the Armenia-EU Association Agreement will become an incentive for the opening of the boundary.      

“The European Union has a ‘soft power’ and this is well known. Europe cannot use strict enforcement mechanisms at this time. Around three dozen countries, [and] each one having its [own] bilateral agreements, its [own] interests,” he said.      

As per Iskandaryan, Turkey does not have sufficient incentives to normalize its relations with Armenia.

“If Turkey were to be promised EU membership in return, [official] Ankara might have decided to change its policy. But no one offers such thing, [and] therefore I believe that Europe will try to put some pressure on Turkey,” Alexander Iskandaryan concluded.    

To note, the Armenia-EU Association Agreement is planned to be signed during the EU Eastern Partnership summit to be held in Vilnius, Lithuania, in November. 

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