| KARS
SELMA ŞİMŞEK BEKTAŞ
Kars Mayor Naif Alibeyoğlu says the Kars public has been waiting for years for the day when Doğukapı reopens but they have been presented with an alternative project. “Since they are not opening Doğukapı, at least they should open the Tbilisi route. We would settle for that also,” he says. He adds that Kars cannot stand another couple of years. “If no solution is found, a new wave of immigration is inevitable to major cities,” he predicts. The future of Kars and Turkey lies in this project, according to Alibeyoğlu. “Turkey has hailed the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline as the project of the century, a project that it will only earn landing fees. The real project of the century for Turkey is this railroad that will give Turkey access to the Caucasus. We have a $250 billion market with a population of 150 million right next to us. The future of Turkey and Kars lies in how much market share Turkey can gain in this area.” Despite all the odds, bold entrepreneurs are investing in the Caucasus, says Alibeyoğlu. “Through these border crossings, any cargo loaded in Istanbul will be delivered to Moscow, Tbilisi and Baku without any interruption. Turkish businessmen now are trying to exist in the market by delivering their goods through the Sarp border crossing and Georgia’s Poti port. Any route through Kars would alone cause a 40 percent decrease in freight costs of our businessmen.”
Is this an embargo?: Turkey’s closed border with Armenia should be re-evaluated, Alibeyoğlu insists. Kars is the only city suffering from the non-existent diplomatic relations with Armenia and this situation is unfair, he claims. Out of 100 trucks passing through the Sarp gate to Georgia, 80 of them deliver goods to Armenia, explains Alibeyoğlu. Moreover, Turkish companies export goods to Armenia through Iran, he says. “We look and see that planes take off from Istanbul to Yerevan. A high percentage of goods in Armenia are Turkish goods. What kind of a blockade or embargo this is, we cannot understand. Turkey’s doors are open to Armenia, except the Kars gate, they should explain it to us. If there’s an embargo on Armenia, this should be a total embargo. Because of this situation, Kars is deprived of jobs, food, and investment. Only dialogue will solve the problems with Armenia. Trade sets the stage for dialogue. Peoples of both countries want it. But politicians on both sides do not understand this. Once they understand it, there won’t be any problems left. Box box box
‘Our last hope is Tbilisi’: The head of the Kars Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ali Güvensoy, says the Caucasus countries now possess a major market for construction, food, textiles, agriculture and husbandry. “We all wish for Doğukapı to be opened. If this is not possible, then as an alternative route, we want the Tbilisi route to be constructed as soon as possible. Railroad access to the Caucasus will make Kars the regional base for exportation and investments. We know this based on past experience. Up until this day, several investors have been monitoring Kars. When they saw that Doğukapı was no where near being opened, they left one by one. Tbilisi is our last hope now. We won’t let it slip away.” Box box box
TOKİ is rebuilding Kars: Turkish Airlines, Atlas Jet and Onur Air have regular flights to Kars everyday. As soon as you set foot in Kars, you see road work and apartment buildings being built in place of one-floor earthen roofed houses. The Housing Development Administration of Turkey (TOKİ) has undertaken multiple projects in Kars. Once called a “mud-city,” Kars is now being transformed with many new construction projects. But the familiar sight of piles of “tezek” (dried cow dung) in backyards still exists. With livestock constituting the primary source of income for the population of Kars, tezek is a valuable heating fuel for easing the tough winter conditions, which last up to nine months in the region. Produced by drying animal manure, tezek is the main source heating fuel used in homes for a major part of the city and all rural areas.
News Source: Turkish Daily News |
Akgün Medya