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Gul's Yerevan Visit Applauded By Majority In Turkey

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  • Gul's Yerevan Visit Applauded By Majority In Turkey

    GUL'S YEREVAN VISIT APPLAUDED BY MAJORITY IN TURKEY

    armradio.am
    09.09.2008 12:49

    A brief visit by President Abdullah Gul to Yerevan to attend a soccer
    match between the Turkish and Armenian national teams was welcomed
    by an overwhelming majority of Turkish society, as it was considered
    a landmark step to thaw relations between the two countries, a new
    opinion poll has found, Today's Zaman reported.

    The Ankara-based MetroPOLL Strategic & Social Research Center conducted
    a survey on Gul's visit to Yerevan to learn Turks' views on the visit.

    According to the survey, 69.6 percent of those polled found Gul's
    visit to Armenia successful, a figure suggesting that Turks are
    hopeful the visit may be a turning point in the relations between
    Turkey and Armenia. Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan invited Gul to
    watch a World Cup qualifying match between the Turkish and Armenian
    national teams in Yerevan. Gul's acceptance of the invitation raised
    hopes for dialogue that could eventually restore relations between the
    two estranged neighbors and help bury an almost century-old hostility.

    The major question of the survey was whether Gul's visit to Armenia
    was successful or not. An overwhelming 69.6 percent of respondents said
    the visit was successful, whereas 15 percent said it was unsuccessful
    and 15.4 percent said they had no idea.

    "Turkey and Armenia took a step to normalize relations after long years
    of dispute. Though some political parties and politicians strongly
    opposed Gul traveling to Yerevan, both the government and the president
    did the best to thaw the ice between the two countries. Gul's visit
    to Armenia was met with satisfaction by the Turkish nation. To me,
    this visit may be a turning point in Turkish-Armenian relations,"
    said Professor Ozer Sencar, one of the administrators of the poll.

    Professor Eser KarakaÅ~_, a columnist for the Star daily, said the
    visit was a huge step for the settlement of problems between the
    two neighbors.

    "This is a significant step of goodwill. It would be great if both
    countries reinforced this step with similar ones in the future. It
    may not solve all problems between Turkey and Armenia but may at
    least help Turkey open its border with its neighbor," he stated.

    Another question directed to respondents in the poll was on the tough
    stance of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and
    the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) toward Gul's visit to
    Yerevan. When asked whether the CHP and the MHP were right to react
    negatively to Gul's visit, 65.6 percent of those polled said the two
    opposition parties were wrong to harshly criticize the visit. Only
    24.9 percent of respondents said the two parties were right to do so
    and 9.5 percent said they had no idea.

    Another topic20of the new poll was future relations with Armenia. In
    response to a question over what kind of policy Turkey should pursue in
    relations with its neighbor, 62.8 percent of those polled said Turkey
    should develop diplomatic and economic relations with Armenia, whereas
    25.9 percent said it should maintain the existing policies. Another
    11.3 percent said they had no idea.

    --Boundary_(ID_O5KnZZNn3sfXObuN1tmxIg)--

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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