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Agence France Presse
October 15, 2009 Thursday 9:58 AM GMT
Jeers fail to tarnish Armenian president's Turkey trip
BYLINE: Hande Culpan and Mariam Harutunian
BURSA, Turkey, Oct 15 2009
Jeering football fans failed to dim the elation of the leaders of Turkey and
Armenia after their landmark meeting at a soccer match between the countries
seeking to end a century of antagonism.
Armenia's President Serzh Sarkisian and his Turkish counterpart Abdullah
Gulmet before the World Cup qualifying match between their countries late
Wednesday.
Sarkisian watched in the stadium as Turkish fans loudly booed Armenia's
national anthem and then his side lost 2-0. But before leaving he told
reporters that the two countries "accomplished a great job today."
And the noisy Turkish press also hailed the event on Thursday.
"Peace Has Won" said the front page headline in the Milliyet newspaper.
"Do we need to write the score? The Turkey-Armenia match in Bursa has gone
down in history as a major step on the path to peace," it added.
Sarkisian flew to the Turkish city of Bursa just four days after the
neighbours signed historic deals aiming to end their hostility, establish
formal ties and open their border.
The two nations have been estranged since World War I. Armenians say the
death of 1.5 million of their kin under the old Ottoman empire was genocide.
Turkey fiercely rejects the "genocide" tag.
The protocols still need parliamentary ratification to take effect and the
process is expected to take time amid nationalist ire in both countries.
A Turkish diplomat warned that "both sides conceded the process will be
difficult."
Gul and Sarkisian watched the football match with UEFA President Michel
Platini, as well as the foreign ministers of the two countries and of
Switzerland, which has acted as mediator in their talks.
Sarkisian put on a brave smile when Turkey scored, while Gul applauded,
after which the two were seen chatting. The final result was of no
significance as neither side can qualify for the 2010 World Cup finals.
Wary that nationalist fans could spoil the bridge-building event, Turkish
authorities imposed stringent security measures for spectators.
Despite appeals for respect and hospitality, intensive jeering erupted when
Armenia's national anthem was played. Earlier, a bus carrying Armenian
journalists was pelted with stones by dozens of shouting fans, but no one
was injured.
Some 3,000 police were on duty for the game, in addition to plain clothes
officers assigned to sit among spectators to prevent offensive chants.
Ticket sales were restricted, with most reportedly distributed to military
academy students, police and their families, prompting protests outside the
stadium.
Police used tear gas to disperse a group of fans without tickets after brief
scuffles, Anatolia news agency reported.
Commentator Ahmet Altan wrote in the Taraf newspaper that the match was a
sign that Turkey is "normalising".
"It is making peace with its own people, with history and its neighbours. We
are living in a historic period. We are getting rid of our irrational
fears."
Armenia's opposition had condemned his trip to Turkey, accusing Sarkisian of
betraying his country's interests.
And for many Turks, the peace effort amounts to selling out Azerbaijan, one
of Ankara's closest allies, whose conflict with Armenia over the disputed
Nagorny Karabakh region had led Turkey in 1993 to seal its border with
Armenia.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed Tuesday that progress
on Nagorny Karabakh would determine the Turkish parliament's ratification of
the deals with Armenia.
Yerevan says ties should be established without pre-conditions and
categorically rejects any link to its conflict with Azerbaijan.
Sarkisian's trip to Turkey was a return of an earlier gesture by Gul, who
became the first Turkish head of state to visit Armenia when he attended the
first-leg World Cup match in Yerevan in September 2008.
bur-su/tw/
October 15, 2009 Thursday 9:58 AM GMT
Jeers fail to tarnish Armenian president's Turkey trip
BYLINE: Hande Culpan and Mariam Harutunian
BURSA, Turkey, Oct 15 2009
Jeering football fans failed to dim the elation of the leaders of Turkey and
Armenia after their landmark meeting at a soccer match between the countries
seeking to end a century of antagonism.
Armenia's President Serzh Sarkisian and his Turkish counterpart Abdullah
Gulmet before the World Cup qualifying match between their countries late
Wednesday.
Sarkisian watched in the stadium as Turkish fans loudly booed Armenia's
national anthem and then his side lost 2-0. But before leaving he told
reporters that the two countries "accomplished a great job today."
And the noisy Turkish press also hailed the event on Thursday.
"Peace Has Won" said the front page headline in the Milliyet newspaper.
"Do we need to write the score? The Turkey-Armenia match in Bursa has gone
down in history as a major step on the path to peace," it added.
Sarkisian flew to the Turkish city of Bursa just four days after the
neighbours signed historic deals aiming to end their hostility, establish
formal ties and open their border.
The two nations have been estranged since World War I. Armenians say the
death of 1.5 million of their kin under the old Ottoman empire was genocide.
Turkey fiercely rejects the "genocide" tag.
The protocols still need parliamentary ratification to take effect and the
process is expected to take time amid nationalist ire in both countries.
A Turkish diplomat warned that "both sides conceded the process will be
difficult."
Gul and Sarkisian watched the football match with UEFA President Michel
Platini, as well as the foreign ministers of the two countries and of
Switzerland, which has acted as mediator in their talks.
Sarkisian put on a brave smile when Turkey scored, while Gul applauded,
after which the two were seen chatting. The final result was of no
significance as neither side can qualify for the 2010 World Cup finals.
Wary that nationalist fans could spoil the bridge-building event, Turkish
authorities imposed stringent security measures for spectators.
Despite appeals for respect and hospitality, intensive jeering erupted when
Armenia's national anthem was played. Earlier, a bus carrying Armenian
journalists was pelted with stones by dozens of shouting fans, but no one
was injured.
Some 3,000 police were on duty for the game, in addition to plain clothes
officers assigned to sit among spectators to prevent offensive chants.
Ticket sales were restricted, with most reportedly distributed to military
academy students, police and their families, prompting protests outside the
stadium.
Police used tear gas to disperse a group of fans without tickets after brief
scuffles, Anatolia news agency reported.
Commentator Ahmet Altan wrote in the Taraf newspaper that the match was a
sign that Turkey is "normalising".
"It is making peace with its own people, with history and its neighbours. We
are living in a historic period. We are getting rid of our irrational
fears."
Armenia's opposition had condemned his trip to Turkey, accusing Sarkisian of
betraying his country's interests.
And for many Turks, the peace effort amounts to selling out Azerbaijan, one
of Ankara's closest allies, whose conflict with Armenia over the disputed
Nagorny Karabakh region had led Turkey in 1993 to seal its border with
Armenia.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed Tuesday that progress
on Nagorny Karabakh would determine the Turkish parliament's ratification of
the deals with Armenia.
Yerevan says ties should be established without pre-conditions and
categorically rejects any link to its conflict with Azerbaijan.
Sarkisian's trip to Turkey was a return of an earlier gesture by Gul, who
became the first Turkish head of state to visit Armenia when he attended the
first-leg World Cup match in Yerevan in September 2008.
bur-su/tw/