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TIME Magazine
Sept 5 2008
Can Soccer Heal Turkey-Armenia Rift?
Friday, Sep. 05, 2008 By ANDREW PURVIS
Soccer's world governing body FIFA pays no heed to historical enmities
or geopolitical feuds in the draw for the World Cup qualifying
tournament; only seedings count. That's how South Korea ended up
facing the diplomatically sensitive challenge of having to beat North
Korea in order to secure one of the 32 places at World Cup 2010 in
South Africa. Even more potentially volatile was the May 31 match-up
between Sudan and Chad ' FIFA postponed that one indefinitely, because
the two countries were on the brink of war. (A World Cup qualifier in
which El Salvador beat Honduras in 1969 saw long-running tensions
erupt into a brief war.) But many in Turkey and Armenia are seeing
their national teams' World Cup encounter in Yerevan on Saturday as an
opportunity to help thaw the troubled relationship between the two
countries.
Among the fans taking their seats for the game in the Armenian capital
will be Turkey's President Abdullah Gul and his Armenian counterpart,
Serzh Sarkisian. Gul's visit is the first ever by a Turkish head of
state to Armenia, and it is being heralded as a potential breakthrough
in efforts to normalize relations between the traditional
adversaries. Their common border was sealed in 1993 as the two
countries found themselves supporting opposite sides in the conflict
between Azerbaijan and its breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, and
they have never enjoyed diplomatic relations.
France, which holds the presidency of the European Union, is welcoming
the visit as "historic and highly symbolic," and as a "strong and
encouraging sign" for relations between the two countries. Gul's
office said in a statement that the visit "will be an opportunity to
overcome obstacles and prepare a new ground to bring the two people
together." Armenia's President Sarkisian told his country's diplomats
this week that "without forgetting the past, we must look to the
future." He added, "If there is a dialogue, we can discuss any, even
the most difficult questions. We must shape a mutually beneficial
agenda and begin contacts without preconditions."
But political analysts say that while the visit may be historic, it is
at best only a first step. Both countries have been seeking ways to re
establish normal relations at least since Sarkisian was elected
earlier this year, but obstacles include the ongoing dispute over
Armenian occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh, claimed by Azerbaijan with
Turkey's backing. And then there's the long-standing tension over
Turkey's refusal to call the deaths of hundreds of thousands of
Armenians at the hands of Ottoman Turks during the First World War a
genocide.
"What we are seeing is some prospect of the de-escalation of conflict
between the two peoples, but it's not going to be easy," says former
U.S. ambassador to Turkey Mark Parris, currently a scholar at the
Brookings Institution. "Both capitals have wanted to find a solution
for some time, but third parties ' including Azerbaijan, in the case
of Turkey, and the Armenian diaspora, in the case of Yerevan ' have
militated against one."
Gul is expected to spend only a few hours in the Armenian capital, but
his aides say that on the sidelines of the soccer match, the
Presidents will discuss a Turkish proposal to establish a new regional
"platform" to facilitate conflict resolution and strengthen economic
ties among Turkey, Armenia, Georgia, Russia and Azerbaijan. They may
also discuss a proposal to set up a commission of unbiased historians
to examine the murders of Armenians in 1915.
Adding urgency to the current discussions is the Russian invasion of
Georgia, which has raised fears not just in Turkey but also in the
West that instability in the region could interrupt energy supplies
from the Caspian through Turkey to Western consumers. Ankara hopes its
proposed "platform" would help reduce regional tensions.
Armenia is particularly eager to find a way to reopen its border with
Turkey, because it is currently forced to conduct its international
trade via Georgia's Black Sea ports. That corridor has been squeezed
by the Russian military action in Georgia; a key railway bridge was
mined and the port of Poti remains occupied by Russian troops.
Still, nationalist elements in both countries are opposed to any kind
of rapprochement. Deniz Baykal, leader of Turkey's Republican People's
party, said he would prefer to see President Gul attend a match in
Baku instead. Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Nationalist Action party,
said it was a mistake to travel to Yerevan before Turkey and Armenia
had solved their problems.
Domestic political opposition may limit the room for maneuver of
Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) but its Armenian
initiative is part of the party's broader strategic framework of "zero
problem with the neighbors," and includes diplomatic efforts in
countries such as Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Iran.
Saturday will not be the first time that the two countries have
clashed on the soccer field. In July, a youth match saw Armenia win 2
-1. But Turkey's senior national side is currently ranked tenth in the
world, and it would be a major upset for 98th-ranked Armenia to
prevail. While Turkey is a soccer-mad nation (some 5,000 fans are
traveling to the match on special visas issued by the Armenian
government ) organizers are hoping that the two sides will keep their
passions on the pitch. As for embracing the opposing side after the
match, all eyes are likely to be on the presidential box. The
presidents, in this case, will lead the way.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,859 9,1839199,00.html
Sept 5 2008
Can Soccer Heal Turkey-Armenia Rift?
Friday, Sep. 05, 2008 By ANDREW PURVIS
Soccer's world governing body FIFA pays no heed to historical enmities
or geopolitical feuds in the draw for the World Cup qualifying
tournament; only seedings count. That's how South Korea ended up
facing the diplomatically sensitive challenge of having to beat North
Korea in order to secure one of the 32 places at World Cup 2010 in
South Africa. Even more potentially volatile was the May 31 match-up
between Sudan and Chad ' FIFA postponed that one indefinitely, because
the two countries were on the brink of war. (A World Cup qualifier in
which El Salvador beat Honduras in 1969 saw long-running tensions
erupt into a brief war.) But many in Turkey and Armenia are seeing
their national teams' World Cup encounter in Yerevan on Saturday as an
opportunity to help thaw the troubled relationship between the two
countries.
Among the fans taking their seats for the game in the Armenian capital
will be Turkey's President Abdullah Gul and his Armenian counterpart,
Serzh Sarkisian. Gul's visit is the first ever by a Turkish head of
state to Armenia, and it is being heralded as a potential breakthrough
in efforts to normalize relations between the traditional
adversaries. Their common border was sealed in 1993 as the two
countries found themselves supporting opposite sides in the conflict
between Azerbaijan and its breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, and
they have never enjoyed diplomatic relations.
France, which holds the presidency of the European Union, is welcoming
the visit as "historic and highly symbolic," and as a "strong and
encouraging sign" for relations between the two countries. Gul's
office said in a statement that the visit "will be an opportunity to
overcome obstacles and prepare a new ground to bring the two people
together." Armenia's President Sarkisian told his country's diplomats
this week that "without forgetting the past, we must look to the
future." He added, "If there is a dialogue, we can discuss any, even
the most difficult questions. We must shape a mutually beneficial
agenda and begin contacts without preconditions."
But political analysts say that while the visit may be historic, it is
at best only a first step. Both countries have been seeking ways to re
establish normal relations at least since Sarkisian was elected
earlier this year, but obstacles include the ongoing dispute over
Armenian occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh, claimed by Azerbaijan with
Turkey's backing. And then there's the long-standing tension over
Turkey's refusal to call the deaths of hundreds of thousands of
Armenians at the hands of Ottoman Turks during the First World War a
genocide.
"What we are seeing is some prospect of the de-escalation of conflict
between the two peoples, but it's not going to be easy," says former
U.S. ambassador to Turkey Mark Parris, currently a scholar at the
Brookings Institution. "Both capitals have wanted to find a solution
for some time, but third parties ' including Azerbaijan, in the case
of Turkey, and the Armenian diaspora, in the case of Yerevan ' have
militated against one."
Gul is expected to spend only a few hours in the Armenian capital, but
his aides say that on the sidelines of the soccer match, the
Presidents will discuss a Turkish proposal to establish a new regional
"platform" to facilitate conflict resolution and strengthen economic
ties among Turkey, Armenia, Georgia, Russia and Azerbaijan. They may
also discuss a proposal to set up a commission of unbiased historians
to examine the murders of Armenians in 1915.
Adding urgency to the current discussions is the Russian invasion of
Georgia, which has raised fears not just in Turkey but also in the
West that instability in the region could interrupt energy supplies
from the Caspian through Turkey to Western consumers. Ankara hopes its
proposed "platform" would help reduce regional tensions.
Armenia is particularly eager to find a way to reopen its border with
Turkey, because it is currently forced to conduct its international
trade via Georgia's Black Sea ports. That corridor has been squeezed
by the Russian military action in Georgia; a key railway bridge was
mined and the port of Poti remains occupied by Russian troops.
Still, nationalist elements in both countries are opposed to any kind
of rapprochement. Deniz Baykal, leader of Turkey's Republican People's
party, said he would prefer to see President Gul attend a match in
Baku instead. Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Nationalist Action party,
said it was a mistake to travel to Yerevan before Turkey and Armenia
had solved their problems.
Domestic political opposition may limit the room for maneuver of
Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) but its Armenian
initiative is part of the party's broader strategic framework of "zero
problem with the neighbors," and includes diplomatic efforts in
countries such as Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Iran.
Saturday will not be the first time that the two countries have
clashed on the soccer field. In July, a youth match saw Armenia win 2
-1. But Turkey's senior national side is currently ranked tenth in the
world, and it would be a major upset for 98th-ranked Armenia to
prevail. While Turkey is a soccer-mad nation (some 5,000 fans are
traveling to the match on special visas issued by the Armenian
government ) organizers are hoping that the two sides will keep their
passions on the pitch. As for embracing the opposing side after the
match, all eyes are likely to be on the presidential box. The
presidents, in this case, will lead the way.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,859 9,1839199,00.html