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Protests greet Turkish president in Armenia
The Associated Press
September 6, 2008
YEREVAN, Armenia: Thousands of Armenians lined the streets of the
capital Saturday, protesting the Turkish president who drove past in
the first ever visit by a Turkish leader. Many held placards demanding
justice for massacres that took place nearly 100 years ago.
Abdullah Gul arrived in Armenia to watch a Turkey vs. Armenia World Cup
qualifier game with President Serge Sarkisian that many hope will help
the two countries overcome decades of antagonism rooted in Ottoman-era
massacres of Armenians.
Gul is the first Turkish leader to set foot in Armenia since the
ex-Soviet nation declared independence in 1991. The two neighbors have
no diplomatic ties and their border has been closed since 1993.
Historians estimate up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman
Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed by
genocide scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey,
however, denies the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has
been inflated and those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.
Ties have also suffered from Turkey's opposition to Armenia's
occupation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, a close
Turkish ally.
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As Gul left the airport, the presidential motorcade drove along streets
lined with thousands of people holding up placards, mostly in English
and Armenian, that read: "We want justice," "Turk admit your guilt,"
and "1915 never again."
Others held up names of places in Turkey from which their ancestors
were forced to leave as the Ottoman Empire uprooted Armenian
communities between 1915 and 1922.
Little progress is expected on the genocide issue or on
Nagorno-Karabakh when Gul meets Sarkisian for talks just before the
game ' which Turkey is favored to win.
Still, the visit is a sign of a diplomatic thaw.
"I hope that (the visit) will help lift the obstacles that stand in the
way of rapprochement between the two peoples and contribute to regional
friendship and peace," Gul said before his departure.
Gul's decision to accept Armenia's invitation to the match is linked to
Turkey's desire to carve out a regional peacemaker role amid tensions
sparked by Russia's invasion of neighboring Georgia.
Turkey, a NATO member, has cause for alarm about how Russia's
recognition of the Georgian breakaway regions of South Ossetia and
Abkhazia might inspire its own separatist Kurds, or provoke Armenia to
boost support for separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh.
In the wake of the Georgia conflict, Turkey proposed a regional
grouping for stability in the Caucasus that would include Russia,
Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.
0A
"About a month ago, we all saw how conflicts that have remained
unresolved threatened regional stability and peace in the Caucasus,"
Gul said in reference to the Georgia crisis.
Armenia is the last of Turkey's neighbors with whom Ankara has failed
to mend ties since the end of the Cold War. Turkey has gradually
improved relations with old foes such as Greece, Bulgaria and Syria.
Improved ties with Armenia are likely to help lift strains on Turkey's
relations with other countries that have or plan to formally recognize
the massacres as genocide.
In October, a measure that would have declared the Armenian deaths as
genocide in the U.S. Congress was stopped after President George W.
Bush's administration warned relations with strategic ally Turkey would
be damaged.
On the plane, Gul paid tribute to the Armenian president.
"President Sarkisian was brave in taking the opportunity of inviting me
to this game," he said.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 during a war between
Armenia and Azerbaijan, a Muslim ally of Ankara, in order to pressure
Yerevan into ending the conflict. he move has hurt the economy of tiny,
landlocked Armenia.
Armenia's bitter ties with Azerbaijan and Turkey have resulted in the
tiny country being excluded from strategic energy pipelines that
connect Azerbaijan to Turkey via Georgia.
Armenians, supported by numerous scholars, claim an organized genocide
was carried=2
0out in the waning years of the Ottoman Empire and are
pushing for the killings to be recognized as among history's worst
atrocities.
Turkey contends the 1.5 million death toll is wildly inflated. It also
says the Armenians were killed or displaced in civil unrest during the
chaos that surrounded the empire's collapse.
Turkey has called for the establishment of a committee of scholars to
study the WWI events in a bid to improve ties, but Armenia has declined
to consider this until relations are forged.
___
Associated Press Writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara and Avet Demourian in
Yerevan, Armenia, contributed.
The Associated Press
September 6, 2008
YEREVAN, Armenia: Thousands of Armenians lined the streets of the
capital Saturday, protesting the Turkish president who drove past in
the first ever visit by a Turkish leader. Many held placards demanding
justice for massacres that took place nearly 100 years ago.
Abdullah Gul arrived in Armenia to watch a Turkey vs. Armenia World Cup
qualifier game with President Serge Sarkisian that many hope will help
the two countries overcome decades of antagonism rooted in Ottoman-era
massacres of Armenians.
Gul is the first Turkish leader to set foot in Armenia since the
ex-Soviet nation declared independence in 1991. The two neighbors have
no diplomatic ties and their border has been closed since 1993.
Historians estimate up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman
Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed by
genocide scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey,
however, denies the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has
been inflated and those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.
Ties have also suffered from Turkey's opposition to Armenia's
occupation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, a close
Turkish ally.
Today in Europe
EU split over Ukraine's path to membershipU.S. to withdraw proposed
nuclear pact with RussiaWar splits Orthodox churches in Russia and
Georgia0D
As Gul left the airport, the presidential motorcade drove along streets
lined with thousands of people holding up placards, mostly in English
and Armenian, that read: "We want justice," "Turk admit your guilt,"
and "1915 never again."
Others held up names of places in Turkey from which their ancestors
were forced to leave as the Ottoman Empire uprooted Armenian
communities between 1915 and 1922.
Little progress is expected on the genocide issue or on
Nagorno-Karabakh when Gul meets Sarkisian for talks just before the
game ' which Turkey is favored to win.
Still, the visit is a sign of a diplomatic thaw.
"I hope that (the visit) will help lift the obstacles that stand in the
way of rapprochement between the two peoples and contribute to regional
friendship and peace," Gul said before his departure.
Gul's decision to accept Armenia's invitation to the match is linked to
Turkey's desire to carve out a regional peacemaker role amid tensions
sparked by Russia's invasion of neighboring Georgia.
Turkey, a NATO member, has cause for alarm about how Russia's
recognition of the Georgian breakaway regions of South Ossetia and
Abkhazia might inspire its own separatist Kurds, or provoke Armenia to
boost support for separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh.
In the wake of the Georgia conflict, Turkey proposed a regional
grouping for stability in the Caucasus that would include Russia,
Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.
0A
"About a month ago, we all saw how conflicts that have remained
unresolved threatened regional stability and peace in the Caucasus,"
Gul said in reference to the Georgia crisis.
Armenia is the last of Turkey's neighbors with whom Ankara has failed
to mend ties since the end of the Cold War. Turkey has gradually
improved relations with old foes such as Greece, Bulgaria and Syria.
Improved ties with Armenia are likely to help lift strains on Turkey's
relations with other countries that have or plan to formally recognize
the massacres as genocide.
In October, a measure that would have declared the Armenian deaths as
genocide in the U.S. Congress was stopped after President George W.
Bush's administration warned relations with strategic ally Turkey would
be damaged.
On the plane, Gul paid tribute to the Armenian president.
"President Sarkisian was brave in taking the opportunity of inviting me
to this game," he said.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 during a war between
Armenia and Azerbaijan, a Muslim ally of Ankara, in order to pressure
Yerevan into ending the conflict. he move has hurt the economy of tiny,
landlocked Armenia.
Armenia's bitter ties with Azerbaijan and Turkey have resulted in the
tiny country being excluded from strategic energy pipelines that
connect Azerbaijan to Turkey via Georgia.
Armenians, supported by numerous scholars, claim an organized genocide
was carried=2
0out in the waning years of the Ottoman Empire and are
pushing for the killings to be recognized as among history's worst
atrocities.
Turkey contends the 1.5 million death toll is wildly inflated. It also
says the Armenians were killed or displaced in civil unrest during the
chaos that surrounded the empire's collapse.
Turkey has called for the establishment of a committee of scholars to
study the WWI events in a bid to improve ties, but Armenia has declined
to consider this until relations are forged.
___
Associated Press Writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara and Avet Demourian in
Yerevan, Armenia, contributed.