Armenia-Turkey Border Opening: What Determines the Attitude of Armenians?

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The trend toward multidisciplinary research brought together researchers with diverse perspectives from the American University of Armenia (AUA)’s Manoogian Simone College of Business and Economics (CBE) and College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS). The past experience of rapprochement and the prospects of normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey, as well as the AUA Research Award received in 2015, fostered CBE scholars Dr. Aleksandr Grigoryan and Dr. Knar Khachatryan to develop their research on the issue of opening the Armenian-Turkish border and the attitude of Armenians toward it. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the research project, it was later expanded to include the expertise of Dr. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan from CHSS.

In July 2018, this successful collaboration engendered the publication of the article “Armenia-Turkey Border opening: What Determines the Attitude of Armenians?” in Caucasus Survey Journal ‒ a peer-reviewed and multidisciplinary journal concerned with the study of the Caucasus.

In the abstract the authors state: “Using the recent survey on “Public Opinion Poll: The Ways for Normalization of Armenian-Turkish Relations,” we identify the determinants of respondents’ attitudes towards the opening of the border. Among other results, we find that more awareness of the current Armenian-Turkish relationship increases the likelihood of the approval of the border. However, when selecting those respondents, who are either loyal to or approve the opening of the border, the awareness of the protocols’ content decreases the likelihood of the approval of the opening border. Our findings are supported by the contact theory which we use as a conceptual framework.”

Combining political science, economics and management, this joint research opens an avenue for a number of other multidisciplinary projects.

The full article can be accessed here.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values.