Opening the Turkish-Armenian border: weighting the economic implications

Abstract

The goal of this research was to weigh the public perceptions about the economic implications on the international trade of Armenia. The results of both quantitative and qualitative data analysis revealed that public in Armenia views positively on the opening of the Turkish-Armenian border, thinking that it will have positive economic implications for Armenia, particularly for the improvement of Armenia’s international trade. Based on the results, in case we put aside all the political factors, and look at this issue purely from the economic perspective, the main recommendation is that according to the public opinion, the border should be opened. Certainly, after the opening of the border, the government of Armenia should implement many infrastructural changes, strengthen its protectionist policies and be ready to face the potential challenges that the open border may pose for Armenia. However, if we finally reach to solving this issue and open the border, further research will be needed to understand the major challenges and to reveal the ways of facing these challenges.