Sarkisian has been met by angry protests both within Armenia and among the influential diaspora communities in the United States, France and Lebanon.
On Tuesday, Turkey's prime minister made a public appeal to Turkish football fans, to greet Sarkisian with hospitality and to avoid provocations.ĭespite strong support from the United States, the European Union and Russia, there is considerable opposition among nationalists in Turkey and Armenia to the peace process. Thousands of police were deployed to maintain strict security. The soccer game was also being held in Bursa, which centuries ago was the capital of the Ottoman Empire. The protocols call for establishment of embassies in each others' capitals, and for re-opening the Turkish-Armenian border, which has been closed since 1993.
TURKISH ANTHEM FOOTBALL SERIES
This round of "football diplomacy," comes just days after the two governments signed a historic series of protocols to establish diplomatic relations between the two neighbors. Turkey won the World Cup qualifying group game 2-0 but with both countries already unable to progress to the 2010 tournament in South Africa, the significance of the game was in its symbolism. Small pockets of Armenian supporters waved the tri-color flag of Armenia.
But when asked, he avoided saying whether the border between the two neighbors would be opened before 2010.Īt the match, Turkish supporters vastly outnumbered Armenian fans and gave the Armenian national anthem the standard treatment for most visiting foreign teams - they booed. In an exclusive interview with CNN before the game, Gul said the event opened a new chapter for relations between Armenia and Turkey.
Sarkisian and Turkish president Abdullah Gul arrived at the stadium in Bursa together in a car flying the national flags of both countries.
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