The Armenian-Turkish border will not open in the near future, Ruben Mehrabyan, the expert for the Armenian Center of Political and International Studies told NEWS.am.

“I do not see any event or any process that might lead to a rapid opening of the Armenian-Turkish border,” he said. According to him, Turkey’s domestic policy, the ruling elite’s position on the Armenian-Turkish relations and their approaches to the matter do not make think otherwise.

Mehrabyan expressed distrust of the recent hints to a swift border opening in the Turkish press, calling them “trial balloons”. According to the expert, nowadays there are a number of experts, political analysts and each of them expresses his opinion. The same regards media and it should be remembered that it is Turkish press. Such information is a “trial balloon” to test the reaction, he noted.    

The expert deems that Armenia and Turkey can sit at the negotiating table, but nothing else. Mehrabyan considers that Turkey’s aspiration to become a leader in the Islamic world does not affect the country’s foreign policy on Armenia. “Turkey, undoubtedly, wants to become “the strongest guy on the Arab block” but it does not regard Armenia. The point is the Armenian-Turkish reconciliation is not included even in the top ten of Turkey’s agenda,” he stated. He also believes that the Arab world will not acknowledge Turkey’s authority.