Map showing the Turkish areas that were inhabited by Armenians in 1915. Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul has made a historic trip to Armenia to watch a football match and try to tackle decades of animosity between the estranged neighbours.
(AFP Graphic)
I am here in the office working on the dissertation, on a particular chapter and what I want most in life right now is to be in our joint, sitting with my friends and watching the game. Nearly in the break between the first and second halves of the game, we will have our traditional iftar. This will be the tenth? I am expecting 10-15 people to appear for the game and iftar.
There might be some protests in the Armenian side, some provocative acts but these are already expected. Hopefully, this will be a good day for two countries, a good day for me, having friends around and playing cards all night after a soccer victory. Hmmm even if Turkey loses, I guess, I won’t be too upset.
There is an ache in my back for three days due to getting cold for sure but today i began to worry if there might be a case of hernia. My dad had one. This makes me more worried; i am going to see a doctor soon if there is no progress! ok Let me back to work on "Internet based Urban Legends in the EU Process" chapter…
Rounding the circle
President Abdullah Gül is traveling to Armenia for a historic visit; Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is off to Syria for Middle East talks; direct negotiations are taking place between leaders of the two communities in Cyprus, and the foreign minister of Turkey’s neighbor and former rival Greece declares herself hopeful that the two sides will eventually reach a settlement; and Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently visited Turkey.
Can Soccer Heal Turkey-Armenia Rift? – TIME
Issues dividing Armenia, Turkey
[Gül’s visit to Armenia]Talking with elected politicians instead of Diaspora by Kenan DAĞCI
| Both Armenia and Turkey are eager to preserve the status quo in bilateral relations. Armenia developed an official policy involving Armenian genocide allegations and territorial claims whereas Turkey closed all communication channels to Armenia and created an official stance vis-à-vis this country. It closed its borders with Armenia; additionally, it has also declared that it would never abandon its current policy unless Armenia gives up on its allegations with regard to so-called Armenian genocide and the territorial claims. |
Armenia: Criticism Ahead of Historic Football Match
ARF-D activist burns Turkish flag during a Genocide memorial event, Liberty Square, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian 2008
Ahead of tomorrow’s match between Armenia and Turkey, as well as the arrival of Turkish President Abdullah Gul, nationalist forces in both countries are voicing their opposition to what others hope could be a long awaited breakthrough in relations between Yerevan and Ankara. On Tuesday, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation — Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) used the occasion of the 17th Anniversary of the declaration of Nagorno Karabakh’s independence to declare its intention to stage protests while its counterpart in the U.S. issued a statement.
Ağri and Ararat
I don’t really cover sports as a journalist, but this weekend, sports is politics. President Gül will visit Armenia’s capital Yerevan to watch a world cup qualification match between Armenia and Turkey on Saturday. Armenian President Sarkisyan invited him, and how could Gül say no? If he would have refused the invitation, Turkey would be
The Armenian – Turkish football match
A lot is written already in the Turkish media and in the Turkish blogosphere about the upcoming world cup qualifying match between Armenia (still with a Dutch Coach?) and Turkey and if the Turkish president will accept the invitation of the Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan. But I could not find that much in the English Armenian press and blogosphere, only here a shot to discuss again the problematic relations. At least something.
Abdullah Gül’s hand extended for peace!
Whether it likes it or not, Turkey, the inheritor of the Ottoman state, is the elder brother of the entire region. The Anatolian territories have some pieces of all who have lived in this geography, which the Ottomans dominated for centuries.
‘Caucasus conflict gave rise to Turk-Armenian rapprochement’
| The recent conflict in Georgia is one of the reasons the Turkish president decided to accept his Armenian counterpart’s invitation to travel to Armenia, an Armenian expert said in a recent |
‘Yerevan expedition’: remembrance, recalling
Cengiz ÇANDAR
Estranged nations have to start somewhere
Semih İDİZ
Gül’s visit to Armenia is the right step
Mehmet Ali Birand
Good luck, Mr. President!
Burak BEKDİL
Visite historique du président de la République turque en Arménie
Laure Marchand
Abdullah Gül est attendu samedi à Erevan, à l’occasion d’un match de football turco-arménien.
La diplomatie du ballon rond a permis de rapprocher Ankara et Erevan. Invité par Serj Sarksyan, son homologue arménien, le président de la République turque doit se rendre en Arménie samedi. À Erevan, il assistera à un match Turquie-Arménie, comptant pour les éliminatoires de la Coupe du monde de football 2010. C’est la première fois qu’un chef d’État turc effectue un voyage en Arménie. Cette visite historique confirme le réchauffement des relations entre les deux pays, qui n’entretiennent toujours pas de liens diplomatiques directs.
Indispensable Turquie
Le Figaro (France), 4 septembre 2008, p. 15
L’éditorial de Pierre Rousselin
Avec tout ce qui se passe autour d’elle, la Turquie est en train de devenir indispensable. La crise dans le Caucase n’est que le dernier épisode d’une actualité mouvementée qui donne à la diplomatie turque un rôle central, unique, dans une région traversée par de multiples conflits.
Son rôle de médiateur entre Israël et la Syrie est l’objet du sommet quadripartite auquel participe, aujourd’hui à Damas, le président Nicolas Sarkozy. Le Qatar – représentant des pays du Golfe -, la Syrie – qui préside la Ligue arabe -, la France et la Turquie se retrouvent au plus haut niveau pour évoquer les perspectives de paix syro-israélienne.
The EU, Turkey and Russia: An Unlikely Troika
"The EU, Turkey and Russia: An Unlikely Troika
Examining the triangular ties between three great power brokers in Eurasia
Michael Werbowski (minou)
Key to Caucasus initiative: Armenia
Turkish President Abdullah Gül’s visit to Yerevan for the match between the two countries’ national soccer teams has the potential to emerge as an important turning point for relations between Turkey and Armenia.
Signs of a dangerous bipolarity in politics
As I hopefully will have reached Yerevan early this morning, not only to watch football, but to witness an unprecedented visit — the first in history — by a Turkish president, my initial intention was to write about glimpses of my earlier personal encounters with this mysterious, sad city and its sorrowful and deeply proud people, to comment about the true meaning of rapprochement between those who are truly Anatolians — Armenians and Turks — in that order.
Reflections on reunifying Cyprus
When Turkey was given the green light for finally starting its EU accession process in earnest, analysts agreed that one obstacle remained: resolving the Cyprus impasse.
Gül’s visit to mark new era in relations with Armenia
After days of ambiguity and speculation, President Abdullah Gül has finally decided to go to Yerevan to watch the World Cup qualifying match between the national teams of Turkey and Armenia, to be held this evening.