Alalam News Network, Iran
Sept 6 2008
Turkey’s Gul Pays Visit to Armenia
YEREVAN, Sept 6–Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul embarked on a
historic trip to Armenia on Saturday hoping that the visit would pave
the way for closer ties between the two neighbors with a long history
of animosity over alleged Ottoman Empire massacres of Armenians.
As Gul touched down, several hundred demonstrators carrying Armenian
flags and red banners bearing the emblem of the nationalist Armenian
Revolutionary Federation formed a human chain along the route his
motorcade was to take from the airport.
Carrying banners saying "Recognize the Genocide" and "Open the Border
Without Preconditions", they showed the extent of the task ahead for
Gul as he seeks to tackle decades of animosity.
Ankara and Yerevan have severed diplomatic ties and have waged a
bitter international diplomatic battle over Armenia’s attempts to have
massacres of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire classified as
genocide.
Gul landed in the Armenian capital at 1145 GMT and was to meet with
President Serzh Sarkisian before a soccer World Cup qualifier between
Armenia and Turkey scheduled to begin at 1600 GMT.
Before departing, he said he hoped his trip, which has been billed as
"football diplomacy", would facilitate closer ties between the two
neighbors.
Under attack from the opposition at home, Gul only publicly accepted
Sarkisian’s invitation this week to attend the match and become the
first Turkish head of state to visit ex-Soviet Armenia since its
independence.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their people were killed between
1915 and 1917 in orchestrated massacres during World War I as the
Ottoman Empire fell apart — a claim supported by several other
countries.
Turkey rejects the genocide label and argues that 300,000-500,000
Armenians and at least as many Turks died in civil strife when
Armenians took up arms for independence in eastern Anatolia and sided
with invading Russian troops.
Ahead of the visit, Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said
diplomatic ties would be discussed but played down the chance of a
major breakthrough.