Armenian lawmakers may delay voting on a treaty that would open the border with Turkey and boost the former Soviet republic’s economy until the Turkish parliament has considered the step, Bloomberg informs Oct. 27.

According to it, “Armenia will probably wait for Turkey to act on the treaty, said Nairi Petrosyan, a spokesman for the parliament in Yerevan. The Turkish government submitted the agreement to parliament last week, though no date has been set for a ratification vote.

The Armenian government estimates opening the border will increase foreign investment by 50 percent.”

“Giragosian said Turkish lawmakers are likely to postpone a vote until next February or March to coincide with the 95th anniversary of the World War I massacre. ‘Turkey is trying to maximize the political benefits’,” Bloomberg quotes.

“Turkey hopes that normalized ties with Armenia will assuage European Union opponents of Turkish membership.

Armenia’s government forecasts an economic contraction this year of as much as 15 percent, followed by 1 percent growth in 2010, Economic Development Minster Nerses Yeritsyan said in an interview. Opening the border would have ‘enormous benefits’ for Armenia, he said.

Armenia would find markets in Turkey for its agricultural products, especially in border areas, as well as for its brandy in Turkish tourist havens, Ghazaryan said. Imports would include construction materials and electricity, he said.

For Karyna Petrosyan, opening the border would mean a return to work after 16 years of waiting. The 45-year-old railway guard has reported for duty every day, in uniform, at the station in the village of Gharibjanian since the closure of the border a few kilometers away.

In the nearby town of Gyumri, city leaders have been ‘aggressive advocates’ of opening the border, Lilit Aghekian, a spokeswoman for the town’s mayor, said in an interview. ‘But there’s no way Armenia should compromise on Nagorno-Karabakh or the genocide. No trading is possible on these issues’,” Bloomberg says.