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The Grand Turk
Turkey and Iran Open 3rd Border Crossing, Increase Trade
2011-04-17
Birds of a feather flocking together.
Iran and Turkey opened a third border crossing Saturday, with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu proclaiming the two neighbors "friends for eternity," Anatolia news agency reported.

Davutoglu inaugurated the new crossing at Kapikoy in eastern Turkey's Van province with his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi, and said a fourth would open in June at Esendere in the southeast.

A fifth would follow at Dilucu in northeast Turkey, Davutoglu said, without giving a date.

"Our prime minister has set a target of 30 billion dollars" in annual trade with Iran, Anatolia quoted him as saying. "That is why we are opening this border crossing."

"Currently Iran-Turkey trade stands at 11 billion dollars annually and we are trying to hike it to 30 billion dollars," Salehi said.

Relations between the two neighbors have blossomed since the conservative Islamic-based government of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan came to power in 2002.

Erdogan determined to triple the value of their bilateral trade -- which at present consists mainly of sales of Iranian gas to Turkey -- by 2015.

Turkey has reluctantly agreed to implement economic sanctions against Iran approved by the United Nations Security Council because of Tehran's nuclear program, which the West suspects is aimed at weapons development.

The joint border runs for 499 kilometers.(AFP)
Posted by:trailing wife

#2  HMMMMM, HMMMM, I have to wonder iff the Turko-Syrian KURDS will in time become akin to the "SOUTH KURILES" issue between Russia + Japan, i.e. SCO-CSTO BFF RUSSIA + CHINA as per Russ isolating or containing "strategic partner" China from North China Sea + NORPAC, ARCTIC NAVAL, TRADE ROUTES???
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2011-04-17 22:09  

#1  ION BYZANTIUM, TODAY'S ZAMAN > TURKEY'S STAKES IN DANGER AS UNREST RAGES IN SYRIA. Various Perts.

Turkey fears ...

> Affect of unrest on Syria's own domestic KURDISH POPULATION, + ultimately as per TURKEY'S KURDS on the Syria-Turkey border.
> Affect on Thurkey's vital international trade flows which route through Syria.
> LOSS OF ASSAD REGIME + SYRIA = DECISIVE? LOSS + FAILURE OF ALL OF TURKEY'S REGIONAL PROJECTS, INTERESTS WID VARIOUS NEIGHBORING STATES.

Loss of Syria + its Region-stabilizing influence more serious to Turkey than Diplomatic, Geopol brouhahas wid Iran.

* OTOH CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > WHILE MOST OF ALLAH'S STATES [Muslim Nations]STILL PUT AN ALL-OUT EFFORT TO GET [1930's?] 1930 TECHNOLOGY = NUCLEAR BOMBS, THE US IS ABOUT TO PERFECT ITS ABM SYSTEM.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2011-04-17 22:04  

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