GUL: TURKEY, ARMENIA "NOT WRITING HISTORY BUT MAKING IT"

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
15.10.2009 11:17 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The presidents of Turkey and Armenia sat side-by-side
to watch a World Cup soccer match on Wednesday, in a show of unity
meant to help defuse opposition to an agreement to reopen their border
and restore relations.

At a meeting of the delegations of Turkey and Armenia in Bursa,
Turkish President Abdullah Gul said "making history can not take
place in a single day."

"This is a process. We have witnessed together that we can solve the
difficult problems within this process," Gul said during the meeting
of Turkish and Armenian delegations.

The participants at the meeting of the delegations affirmed that
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan displayed the same courage shown
by President Abdullah Gul in September 2008 by coming to Turkey to
watch a World Cup qualifying match between the teams of Turkey and
Armenia on Wednesday.

The delegations expressed during the meeting that the two sides showed
an example of great leadership and that the people of both countries
got closer to each other. President Gul referred to the process with
Armenia as "extremely important development".

Sources said that Gul told the delegations "great steps were taken. A
legal platform was prepared. There are documents that were signed. The
next process will be to make progress on this platform".

The calendar as set forth in the documents will go into effect once
the documents have been approved, Gul said.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, for his part, said that the steps
taken by Turkey and Armenia were crucial.

"I have experienced difficulty while trying to inform certain circles
since August 31. I have completed the process by facing difficulties,"
Sargsyan said.

"I have not tried to inform people in order to receive permission from
the Armenian diaspora. I wanted to convey a decision of the Armenian
Government to the diaspora and held meetings in order to update them,"
he said.

"There could be individuals with diffe rkey and Armenia. What is
important is to see that the number of people thinking positively about
our steps are in the majority. The number of people thinking positively
will increase in time. We are doing the right thing. We are taking
steps which we believe are right," the Armenian President concluded.