Turkish president to pay historic visit to Armenia

04/09/2008

ANKARA, Turkey -- President Abdullah Gul will become the first Turkish head of state to visit Armenia on Saturday (September 6th). He has accepted an invitation from his Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sargsya, and will travel to Yerevan to watch a 2010 World Cup qualifying match between Turkey and Armenia. The visit "can create a new climate of friendship in the region," a statement from his office read. The two leaders are expected to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute and Turkey's proposal for establishing a Caucasus co-operation and stability platform, according to media reports.

Gul's decision to visit Armenia has already generated controversy, as Ankara has not established diplomatic relations with its neighbour since Armenia became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991. Turkey opposes Armenia's occupation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and Yerevan's effort to classify the World War I-era killing of 1.5 million Armenian civilians by Ottoman Turks as genocide. (Radikal, Hurriyet, Vatan, AFP, RIA Novosti, Reuters, AP - 03/09/08)