On September 14, public hearings were held in Azeri settlement village of Tekali, Georgia, with the speakers Edward Dzavaryan (Tbilisi) “Retail store, network”, Bakhtiyar Zeynalov (Gardabani) “The Role of Market”. Dzavaryan, specifically, was recommending setting up a store or a chain of stores, which will be selling only Armenian, Georgian and Azerbaijani products. Speaking to the topic, the Azerbaijani well-known political scientist Zardusht Alizadeh said that the idea is sound, that it is possible to operate the shop, where the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Georgian farmers will sell their products. He mentioned some barriers of mutual trade, the lack of products in demand, oligarchic nature of Armenia’s economy, the lack of trade support institutions, and the Azerbaijani oil, which in itself gives birth to conflict. Zardusht Alizadeh said that Armenian and Azerbaijani authorities do not need the conflict to be settled, the peoples of the two countries need it. According to the political scientists, the trade promotes the settlement of ethnic conflict, Armenian and Azerbaijani authorities would be against mutual trade.
Tekali resident, farmer Mushvig Namazov has donated 4 hectares of his land not far from the intersection of Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan border to operate a construction for international meetings and a marginal market for Tekali peace-making process. After the meeting on September 14, a part of the participants went to that area where they a dozen Tekali farmers were selling their crop. Director of the Caucasus Center of Peacemaking Initiatives Gevorg Vanyan announced that the Tekali pilot market is established.
Voskan SARGSYAN
