Our relations are good with Russia, as has been the case historically. We do not see any reason for them to be otherwise. We have significant trade figures with Russia and rely on it for our energy supply and in regard to security issues. This is extremely important. Our relations with Russia will be maintained at the current level, if not deepened.
The main problem in the region is with Azerbaijan and Turkey. We also have good relations with our two other neighbours, Georgia and Iran, but the issue is their problems with other countries. There is tension between Georgia and Russia because of the border closure and that affects Armenia negatively. The tension between Iran and the international community and the sanctions imposed also affect Armenia. Our bilateral relations are good but the tensions with other countries and the international community affect us. Armenia is, therefore, in a very difficult geopolitical position. Turkey's blockade of Azerbaijan exacerbates our situation in all aspects. That is why normalising relations with Turkey, opening the border with it and resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are priorities for Armenia. We are working actively on these issues.
There is no reason for Turkey to keep the border with Armenia closed. It is open on our side but we cannot use it because it is closed on the other. Armenia has not set down any preconditions to have normal ties with Turkey, despite the historical differences and problems. These issues could be addressed and transcended at governmental level if we had normal ties between our two peoples and the border was open. Short of being at war, there is no reason for Turkey to maintain a closed border with Armenia.
The genocide issue is important for us because it was a tremendous calamity for the Armenian people, with 1.5 million citizens exterminated at the turn of the last century. I am the descendant of a victim of genocide. I was born in Aleppo, Syria. My grandparents walked through the Syrian desert and settled in Aleppo. I am part of the Armenian diaspora and there are many like me throughout the world who have grown up with the stories of our grandparents about deportations, killings, massacres and genocide. It is entrenched in our thinking.
The issue is being exacerbated because of the Turkish Government's persistent denial. That is what hurts most. It is not enough that the Turkish Government fails to recognise the genocide, it denies it and pretends that nothing happened. The government states there were deportations because of treason committed by Armenians during World War I. Genocide was the intent, with the removal of Armenians from the Turkish heartland. There was a fear Anatolia would be lost to Armenians, as the periphery of the Ottoman Empire was reducing. That was the main political reason to exterminate and remove Armenians from Turkey. While we cannot forget this, we should not be trapped by history and not able to look forward. That is not the case for us. We have said genocide recognition, while important for Armenia, is not a precondition for normalising relations between our two peoples. Let the Turks open their borders in order that our two peoples can interact with each other and old memories can be replaced with new ones. Not only are new memories not being created but the old ones are being reinforced in our people's minds. This is creating further problems. Armenia hopes the European Union will help it during the accession process for Turkey and impress upon it the need to have normal, good neighbourly ties with all its neighbours, including Armenia. The Turkish-Armenian border is the only one closed in Europe and needs to be reopened. Armenia is ready for this and has no preconditions.
I refer to the position in Nagorno-Karabakh. It is a difficult process. There are talks and negotiations. I am the chief negotiator on the Armenian side in my capacity as Foreign Minister and will meet my counterpart. The two Presidents will also meet. We are making progress in that regard. The core issue is the future status of Nagorno-Karabakh and the right to self-determination of its people. At the core of our discussions is the notion of a referendum for the people to decide their future, fate and destiny. The talks are evolving around this notion. We hope to be able to make further progress and eventually reach a resolution. There are different stipulations. The process is very complicated because the issue has many sides and layers. It is not only the mainland of Karabakh which is the subject of dispute. There are surrounding territories under Armenian control as a result of the war Azeris started against the Armenians in the early 1990s. As part of the package, these territories will be returned, once the status issue has been addressed. One of the ways by which it can be addressed is through a referendum to affirm the right of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to self-determination. We will continue our discussions. I will meet my counterpart in Geneva on 14 March in order that we can continue our talks in the hope of reaching a conclusion.
I refer to trade relations between our two countries which are very good. One thing Armenia can offer is cognac. After we had sold the factory to the French, they quit complaining about the name. They are using it; therefore, the issue has been taken care of. Our cognac is good and I am sure it could be marketed in this country. However, our capabilities stretch beyond the production of cognac. There are other products which could be exported, including jewellery, diamonds, minerals and light industry products such as clothing. We can work together in the area of information technology as I know the knowledge economy is at the core of this country's economic development. It has relied heavily on it. That is precisely what we are trying to do through the diaspora, that is, to bring in expertise. Information technology accounts for almost 2.5% of GDP, not a bad figure in relative terms. This is one area in which we can work closely with Ireland, benefit from its experience and perhaps create joint ventures. The diaspora have been successful in Silicon Valley. They are opening subsidiaries in Armenia. Many similar ventures could be created with the Irish IT sector.
Tourism is another area to be targeted. There are many similarities between our two countries. We can generate interest among our peoples to visit each other's countries. Armenia is the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion. There are many monasteries in the country. We have stone crosses similar to those which can be seen in Ireland. This pattern is not to be found anywhere else. We have instructed our ambassadors to be more active in coming up with ideas on what can be done in order that we activate economic co-operation.
