Turkish president to visit Armenia

YEREVAN, September 4. /ARKA/. Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul has accepted his Armenian counterpart Serge Sargsian’s invitation to attend the September 6 Armenia-Turkey World Cup qualifier in Yerevan, the Turkish President’s office reports.

Gul’s official website says the football match can help create a climate of friendship in the region. Armenia and Turkey have had no diplomatic ties for 15 years. The shared border of both countries remains closed.

Local and foreign political experts say Gul’s visit to Armenia can give a start to bilateral cooperation. Official Ankara formerly said the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and rejection of the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide are the main requisites for the establishment of diplomatic relations between both countries.

In its turn, official Yerevan expresses readiness to reestablish diplomatic relations with Turkey without any preconditions.

Gul’s visit has sparked debates in Ankara, local mass media say. Turkey’s ruling Party of Justice and Development said the Presiden’t trip would be a deviation from the state policy. Turkey’s Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan has signed a document prohibiting Turkish diplomats from visiting Armenia. Some 30 members of the ruling party were planning to accompany Gul on his trip. Z. Sh. –0--