Türkiye’s Van Chamber of Commerce and Industry ready to host representative office for Armenia ties

The Van Chamber of Commerce and Industry, an organization representing the local business community of Türkiye’s Van, is ready to provide space in its administrative building for the establishment of a representative office that would coordinate on the ground the economic ties and trade-related issues emerging as a result of the normalization of Armenia-Türkiye relations.

President of the Van Chamber of Commerce and Industry Necdet Takva made the statement during the Armenia-Türkiye business forum held in Yerevan.

“Following the normalization process, we consider the establishment of an appropriate representative office in Van a strategic necessity in order to manage on the ground the economic relations, coordination and trade-related issues that arise.

As the Van Chamber of Commerce and Industry, we are even ready to provide space in our modern administrative building for the establishment of such a representative office and to take the initiative in this direction,” Takva said.

The President of the Van Chamber of Commerce and Industry stressed that he and the delegation he leads do not represent Türkiye’s national policy in Armenia. Their goal is to represent the economic interests and opportunities of Van and its business community.

“In this regard, of course, we are not representing our country’s national policy here. As the honorable president also noted, we are here to represent and expand the interests and economic opportunities of our city and our businesspeople.

On this occasion, as I begin my remarks, I would like to welcome the representatives of the Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen of Armenia, the honorable president, the honorable ambassador, members of the press and all our friends present here. Thank you for your hospitality.

Today, as a delegation of the Van Chamber of Commerce and Industry, we are in Yerevan, at the heart of thousands of years of shared history, ancient geography and unbroken neighborhood.

It is a great honor and pride for us to sit at the same table with you, our dear friends. On behalf of our administration, our council and Van’s business community, I express my gratitude to all of you for receiving us with such warm, sincere and high-level hospitality,” Takva said.

In his remarks, he referred to the historical and socio-cultural ties between Van and Yerevan, emphasizing that shared geography and historical heritage can serve as a basis for mutual prosperity, cross-border trade and lasting regional peace.

“Geography is destiny. However, turning that destiny into mutual prosperity, cross-border trade and lasting regional peace depends on us, that is, on our common will,” the President of the Van Chamber of Commerce and Industry noted.

According to him, even during periods when the border between Armenia and Türkiye was closed and opportunities for official communication were limited, representatives of civil society and the business community continued to build bridges of communication and trade diplomacy between the two societies.

“Of course, during periods when border crossing points were closed and official communication channels were occasionally blocked, even in the most difficult times, there were special actors who kept the communication channels of this region open and built bridges of civil and trade diplomacy between the two societies.

In this context, I would like to thank the institutions and people who have worked for years in the field of civil and trade diplomacy.

One of them is the representatives of Armenia’s business community, who have made great efforts to bring the businesspeople of the two countries together around the same trade table.

Another important institution is the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Türkiye, which has done important work in forming the academic foundations of economic relations and trade diplomacy.

We also thank the European Union and the Armenian and Turkish partners of the program supporting the normalization of Armenia-Türkiye relations.

Thanks to the work of all these institutions and people, we are here today and feel great joy and pride in being part of this process.

If it were not for the civil society representatives and businesspeople who have worked for years on both sides, we would not be able to have such a strong and hopeful atmosphere today,” Takva stressed.

Referring to the process of normalizing Armenia-Türkiye relations, he highlighted the negotiations between the special representatives of the two countries, as well as developments related to direct air cargo transportation and the technical infrastructure of border crossing points.

In his assessment, diplomacy can open the way, but the real force that makes it permanent and ensures prosperity for the two societies is trade.

“Dear business partners, I now want to continue my remarks by discussing economic realities, logistics costs and existing opportunities.

The process taking place at the level of special representatives between Türkiye and Armenia, direct air cargo transportation and the technical infrastructure works being carried out at border crossing points are important developments.

As the Van Chamber of Commerce and Industry, we want to emphasize that the real force that makes the path opened by diplomacy permanent and creates prosperity for societies is trade itself,” Takva stated.

According to him, due to its geographical location, Van is one of the closest and most convenient centers for Türkiye to connect with Armenia and, through Armenia, with the broader regional markets.

Takva noted that if border crossing points are opened for trade, the road distance between Van and Yerevan could be approximately 290 kilometers, and the journey could be completed in around three to four hours.

“Thanks to its geographical location, Van is one of the closest and most convenient centers for Türkiye to connect with Armenia and, through Armenia, with broader regional markets.

If we look at the rational economic data, the picture is quite clear.

If border crossing points are opened for trade, the road distance between Van and Yerevan could be only around 290 kilometers, meaning a journey of approximately three to four hours.

In that case, roundabout transportation through Georgia or Iran, which takes days, and additional re-export costs could disappear,” the President of the Van Chamber of Commerce and Industry said.

He also considered the complementarity of the production capacities of the two countries to be one of the promising areas of Armenia-Türkiye economic relations.

According to Takva, construction materials, construction chemicals, plastic and packaging products, quality furniture and processed industrial products manufactured in Van’s organized industrial zone could meet part of the existing demand in Armenia.

At the same time, according to him, Armenia has strong positions in metallurgy, textiles and a number of other sectors, which could provide a basis for direct cooperation.

“Another important issue is sectoral complementarity.

The production potential of Van’s organized industrial zone can meet the demand for a number of goods in high demand in Armenia: construction materials, construction chemicals, plastics, packaging, quality furniture and processed industrial products.

Likewise, Armenia has strong positions in a number of sectors, including metallurgy and textiles, and there is also an opportunity for direct cooperation here.

This is not competition. In fact, it means that the industries of the two neighboring countries can complement each other,” Takva stressed.

He proposed that Armenian and Turkish businesspeople not limit themselves to trade relations alone and consider the possibility of establishing joint production and partnerships.

According to the President of the Van Chamber of Commerce and Industry, organizing production in Armenia’s free economic zones and ensuring the necessary local added value would make it possible to benefit from the opportunities of the Eurasian Economic Union market.

“There is also a Eurasian market of 180 million.

We have not come here only as traders. We also want our producers to establish joint partnerships.

By organizing production in the free economic zones offered by Armenia and ensuring the necessary local added value, it is possible to benefit from the opportunities provided by Armenia’s membership in the Eurasian Economic Union and gain access to a market of around 180 million,” he noted.

Takva presented two strategic and institutional proposals for the development of Armenia-Türkiye economic relations.

The first proposal concerns diplomatic representation and the establishment of a mechanism for the local coordination of economic and trade-related issues.

The second concerns making cooperation between the two countries institutional and continuous within the framework of cultural and trade diplomacy.

He emphasized that closed borders hinder not only the transportation and movement of goods but also limit communication and mutual understanding between people.

“Dear friends, honorable businesspeople, closed borders limit not only the movement of vehicles and goods. They also limit the communication channels that exist in people’s minds.

We are here today to open those closed channels, to combine production and economic opportunities with the warmth of human relations.

I would like to once again thank all the civil society organizations supporting the process and the business communities of the two countries,” the President of the Van Chamber of Commerce and Industry said.

Referring to the speech by Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia Ambassador Vassilis Maragos, Takva proposed that the European Union also provide greater support to institutions operating in Türkiye that are working to develop Armenia-Türkiye cooperation.

“I think that alongside the support provided by the European Union to Armenia, it should also provide greater support to its partner institutions in Türkiye that are working on Armenia-Türkiye cooperation. I think the European Union should be more generous on this issue,” Necdet Takva concluded.

A two-day forum bringing together the business communities of Armenia and Türkiye is being held in Yerevan on September 3-4. It is organized by the Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen of Armenia within the framework of the “Support to Armenia-Türkiye Normalization: Enhancing Cross-Border Linkages” project, funded by the EU.

The forum aims to bring together representatives of the business and government sectors of Armenia and Türkiye on one platform to discuss opportunities for economic cooperation between the two countries, identify new areas and formats for cooperation, and promote the establishment of new business ties and partnerships.

The event includes discussions and meetings on the potential for bilateral economic cooperation, the development of business ties and opportunities for cross-border cooperation.