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Today's Zaman, Turkey
Sept 8 2008
Protests in Yerevan fail to overshadow historic visit
Armenians hold placards and flags in a protest against Abdullah
Gül's visit to Yerevan on Saturday.
Thousands of Armenians lined the streets of Armenia's capital of
Yerevan on Saturday to protest the first-ever visit by a Turkish
president to watch a game between the national teams of the two
countries, but the protests failed to sour the atmosphere of the
historic trip.
Demonstrators also urged Turkey to acknowledge the World War I
killings of Armenians in eastern Anatolia as genocide, a charge Ankara
vehemently denies. Gül's motorcade from the Yerevan airport
traveled along streets lined with thousands of people holding placards
reading in English and Armenian "We want justice," "Turkey admit your
guilt" and "1915 never again." Others held up the names of places in
eastern Turkey from where they said their ancestors had been forced to
leave under an Ottoman policy of uprooting Armenian communities. "I am
from Van," said one placard, printed in white letters on black like a
funeral notice, referring to a province in eastern Turkey.
Armenians claim 1.5 million Armenians were killed in eastern Anatolia
during a systematic genocide campaign but Ankara denies the charges,
saying both that the death toll has been inflated and that Armenians
and Muslim Turks were victims of civil war and unrest.
Security for President Abdullah Gül's trip was tight. Attack
helicopters escorted his jet on arrival and Turkish security personnel
were also sent to Yerevan ahead of the visit to assist security
measures. Gül and Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan watched the
World Cup qualifying game behind bulletproof glass at the stadium,
which is only 500 meters from a memorial dedicated to the Armenians
killed in World War I.
Armenian fans whistled when the Turkish national anthem was played at
the start of the game. Com-menting on the protests, Gül said,
"Those who were opposed to my visit made their position clear without
getting carried away."
08 September 2008, Monday
TODAY'S ZAMAN WITH WIRES Ä°STANBUL
Sept 8 2008
Protests in Yerevan fail to overshadow historic visit
Armenians hold placards and flags in a protest against Abdullah
Gül's visit to Yerevan on Saturday.
Thousands of Armenians lined the streets of Armenia's capital of
Yerevan on Saturday to protest the first-ever visit by a Turkish
president to watch a game between the national teams of the two
countries, but the protests failed to sour the atmosphere of the
historic trip.
Demonstrators also urged Turkey to acknowledge the World War I
killings of Armenians in eastern Anatolia as genocide, a charge Ankara
vehemently denies. Gül's motorcade from the Yerevan airport
traveled along streets lined with thousands of people holding placards
reading in English and Armenian "We want justice," "Turkey admit your
guilt" and "1915 never again." Others held up the names of places in
eastern Turkey from where they said their ancestors had been forced to
leave under an Ottoman policy of uprooting Armenian communities. "I am
from Van," said one placard, printed in white letters on black like a
funeral notice, referring to a province in eastern Turkey.
Armenians claim 1.5 million Armenians were killed in eastern Anatolia
during a systematic genocide campaign but Ankara denies the charges,
saying both that the death toll has been inflated and that Armenians
and Muslim Turks were victims of civil war and unrest.
Security for President Abdullah Gül's trip was tight. Attack
helicopters escorted his jet on arrival and Turkish security personnel
were also sent to Yerevan ahead of the visit to assist security
measures. Gül and Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan watched the
World Cup qualifying game behind bulletproof glass at the stadium,
which is only 500 meters from a memorial dedicated to the Armenians
killed in World War I.
Armenian fans whistled when the Turkish national anthem was played at
the start of the game. Com-menting on the protests, Gül said,
"Those who were opposed to my visit made their position clear without
getting carried away."
08 September 2008, Monday
TODAY'S ZAMAN WITH WIRES Ä°STANBUL