Turkish president pays landmark visit to Armenia

September 07 12:05:01 PM, Yahoo News

A map showing the Turkish areas that were inhabited by Armenians in 1915. The presidents of Armenia and Turkey pledged Saturday to overcome decades of enmity between their two nations during the first visit to Yerevan by a Turkish head of state.(AFP/Graphic)

AFP - The presidents of Armenia and Turkey pledged Saturday to overcome decades of enmity between their two nations during the first visit to Yerevan by a Turkish head of state.

Abdullah Gul held talks with Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisian after which the two agreed there was now the "political will" to improve relations frozen for decades by lingering bitterness over 1915-1917 massacres.

Gul's visit was hailed by French and EU President Nicolas Sarkozy as "courageous and historic" at a time when the Caucasus region is in turmoil following the conflict in Armenia's northern neighbour Georgia.

But in a sign of the hard road ahead, Gul's arrival at Yerevan's Hrazdan stadium to watch a World Cup football qualifier between the two nations was greeted by loud boos and hisses by Armenian fans.

Amid tight security, Gul took his seat behind a special bullet-proof area and had to listen to the chorus of boos that accompanied every positive move by the Turkish team. The far stronger Turkish side ended up winning the match 2-0.

"I hope that this visit will create the possibility to improve bilateral relations," Gul had said earlier in the Armenian capital.

Sarkisian declared there was a "political will to decide the questions between our countries, so that these problems are not passed on to the next generation."

He also said he had been asked by Gul to attend a return football fixture in Turkey on October 14, but did not say whether or not he had accepted.

The two countries -- which have no diplomatic relations -- have waged an international diplomatic battle over Yerevan's efforts to have the 1915-1917 massacre of hundreds of thousands of Armenians recognised as genocide.

Several hundred angry protestors lined the route of Gul's motorcade as it made its way into the capital from Yerevan airport, holding aloft the Armenian flag and nationalist emblems.

"We are here because we want to tell the entire world that we do not forget the genocide of 1915. We will not welcome Gul or any other Turk until they have recognised the genocide," one protester, Bardasar Akhpar, told AFP.

At the start of the match about 80 young protesters gathered at a monument to victims of the killings in central Yerevan, laying flowers and lighting torches.

"We want to draw (Gul's) attention to this monument, so he knows it is not standing empty and that people have gathered here to show that the young generation remembers everything," said organiser Airapet Babaian.

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.

Turkey's footballers were supported by only about 200 forlorn followers in a seating area that could have held 10 times more and was ringed by Armenian police.

Both sets of fans however departed peacefully while the Turkish president boarded a plane to return home.

Some were prepared to embrace the conciliatory message the Turkish and Armenian leaders were trying to put across.

"I'm not interested in football at all. In fact, I hate it because of the nationalism that comes with it," said Ahmet Turkana, a Turkish activist from a pro-democracy group called Young Civilians over for the game.

"But today it's different. Football is here to unite, not to divide."

Sevak Sahakian, a hotel worker in Yerevan said: "Everyone knows about it and people are happy because they hope better ties with Turkey will improve daily life. But people aren't enthusiastic because they don't trust the Turks."

Turkey has refused to establish diplomatic ties with Armenia since the former Soviet republic gained independence in 1991.

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