From: "Katia M. Peltekian" <kpeltekian@yahoo.com>
Subject: Sarkozy Praises Turkish President’s Historic Armenia Visit

Deutsche Welle, Germany
Sept 7 2008

Sarkozy Praises Turkish President’s Historic Armenia Visit

Turkish President Abdullah Gul made a landmark visit to long-time foe
Armenia — a trip French President Nicolas Sarkozy called "courageous
and historic."

Turkish media reported that both countries were pleased with the
half-day trip on Saturday, Sept. 6, and described it as a good start
for resumption of relations.

"While the region is in the midst of a serious crisis, (the visit) is
a courageous and historic gesture for Turkish-Armenian relations,"
said Sarkozy, whose country currently holds the European Union’s
rotating presidency, in a statement.

"It allows for progress soon in establishing normal relations between
Turkey and Armenia," he added.

Football diplomacy

In the Armenian capital Yerevan for less than eight hours, Gul met
with his counterpart Serzh Sarkisian for an hour before the two
watched Turkey defeat Armenia 2-0 in a World Cup qualifying match.

Turkish television reported that the two leaders had discussed a
number of issues, including a Turkish initiative to establish a joint
historical committee to look at the genocide issue, Turkey’s bid to
set up a Caucasus platform to solve regional problems and Armenia’s
continuing occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:
Some people in both countries opposed the presidents’ talks Gul also
invited his Armenian counterpart to join him in Istanbul in October
when Turkey next plays Armenia in the World Cup qualifiers, Turkish
media reported.

Small groups of Armenians protested Gul’s arrival at Yerevan’s
Zvartnots Airport Saturday, while others demonstrated in different
parts of the city, but there were no reports of violence.

At the match itself, protests against Gul were restricted to some
booing of the Turkish national anthem and small groups of people
holding anti-Turkish posters. Gul was seated in a special bullet-proof
area.

Historic strain runs deep

Turkey and Armenia do not have diplomatic relations and the land
border between the two countries was closed by Turkey in 1993 in
protest of the Armenian occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Relations are also strained by Turkey’s refusal to accept as genocide
the deaths of up to 1.5 million ethnic Armenians in the last days of
the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1917. Turkey says that while there
were massacres of ethnic Armenians, the events do not constitute
genocide, and were instead the result of a civil uprising during World
War I.

Gul’s visit was the first by a Turkish head of state to Armenia since
the country gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

"I hope that the match that will be played today will be a catalyst to
eliminating obstacles that are preventing the two peoples, who share a
common history, from getting closer, and that it will contribute to
regional friendship and peace," Gul said at Ankara’s Esenboga Airport
earlier on Saturday.

Gul’s visit has split the Turkish public, with newspapers reporting
that around 60 percent were against the trip.

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