YEREVAN (A.W.)—On Oct. 12, Armenian President Serge Sarkisian announced that he will attend the Turkey-Armenia soccer World Cup qualifying match in Bursa, Turkey.
“The president of Turkey came to Armenia at my invitation and I don’t see a serious reason not to accept his invitation. If in the coming two days nothing extraordinary happens, I’ll accept his invitation. I’ll go to Bursa and support our team,” said Sarkisian.
Sarkisian made the statement ahead of a brief working visit to Moscow, where he is expected to meet with the president of the Russian Federation, Dmitri Medvedev.
Sarkisian had earlier announced that he would not attend the match unless there was a clear movement forward in the Turkey-Armenia normalization process. On Oct. 10, Turkey and Armenia signed protocols that, at least on paper, pave the way to a normalization of relations.
Ankara, however, has made it clear that it will not open the border with Armenia unless Armenian forces withdraw from Karabagh. On Oct. 12, the Turkish Embassy in Baku reiterated that position in a press release.
Ban Ki-Moon welcomes signing of protocols
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon welcomed the signing of the Armenia-Turkey protocols. In a statement, the UN Secretary General wrote: “This historic decision constitutes a milestone toward the establishment of good neighborly relations and the development of bilateral cooperation between both countries. … The secretary-general is confident that this development will also contribute to peace, security, and stability in the south Caucasus and hope that both protocols will be swiftly ratified by the parliaments of Armenia and Turkey to ensure full normalization of their bilateral relations.”
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