SARKISIAN WILL ATTEND SOCCER MATCH IN TURKEY

sarkisian-will-attend-soccer-match-in-turkey/
Octo ber 12, 2009

YEREVAN (A.W.)-On Oct. 12, Armenia’s President Serge Sarkisian
announced that he will attend the second leg of the Turkey-Armenia
soccer World Cup qualifying match in Bursa, Turkey.

"The president of Turkey came to Armenia at my invitation and I don’t
see a serious reason not to accept his invitation. If in the coming two
days nothing extraordinary happens, I’ll accept his invitation. I’ll
go to Bursa and support our team," said Sarkisian.

Sarkisian made the statement ahead of a brief working visit to Moscow,
where he is expected to meet with the President of the Russian
Federation Dmitri Medvedev.

Sarkisian had announced earlier that he would not attend the match
unless there was a clear movement forward in the Turkey-Armenia
normalization process. On Oct. 10, Turkey and Armenia signed protocols
that, at least on paper, pave the way to normalization of relations.

Ankara, however, has made it clear that it will not open the border
with Armenia unless Armenian forces withdraw from Karabakh. On
Oct. 12, the Turkish embassy in Baku reiterated this position in a
press release.

Ban Ki-Moon Welcomes Signing of Protocols

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon welcomed the signing of the
Armenia-Turkey protocols. In a statement, the UN Secretary General
said, "This historic decision constitutes a milestone toward the
establishment of good neighborly relations and the development
of bilateral cooperation between both countries." He added, "The
secretary-general is confident that this development will also
contribute to peace, security and stability in the South Caucasus
hope that both protocols will be swiftly ratified by the Parliaments
of Armenia and Turkey to ensure full normalization of their bilateral
relations."