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| Turkey president to make historic Armenia visit |
| 2008-09-04 |
| President Abdullah Gul on Saturday becomes the first Turkish head of state to visit Armenia and Ankara hopes his trip to attend a football match will heal old wounds over the massacre of Armenians by Turkish forces. Gul goes to Yerevan to watch a 2010 World Cup qualifying match with counterpart Serge Sarkissian at the latter's invitation, the Turkish presidency said Wednesday. "A visit around this match can create a new climate of friendship in the region," said a statement by the Turkish presidency posted on its website. "It's with this in mind that the president has accepted (Sarkissian's) invitation." "This match could lift the obstacles blocking the coming together of two people who share a common history and can create a new foundation" and we hope this visit means "an opportunity for a better mutual understanding," it said. Gul's trip represents a key step towards ending almost a century of animosity over the massacre of Armenians under the erstwhile Turkish Ottoman empire. Turkey has refused to establish diplomatic relations with Armenia since it became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991. The key reason is Yerevan's campaign for the deaths of Armenian civilians in 1915-1917 to be classified as genocide. Armenia says up to 1.5 million people were killed in orchestrated massacres during World War I as the Ottoman Empire fell apart. Turkey rejects the genocide label and argues that 300,000 Armenians and at least as many Turks died in civil strife as Armenians fought for independence in eastern Anatolia and sided with invading Russian troops. About 20 countries have recognized the events as genocide. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 "Turkey has refused to establish diplomatic relations with Armenia since it became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991." Above information is wrong. Turkey recognized indepence of Armenia and Azerbaijan at the same time. When Armenia invaded Karabagh and %20 of Azerbaijan, Turkey ceased the diplomatic relationship with Armenia. |
| Posted by: white-wolf 2008-09-04 07:33 |