Football builds bridges between Turkey and Armenia

Abdullah Gul’s visit has already been dubbed 'highly historic and symbolic', and could become a fresh start in relations between the countries that have been marred by hostility for nearly 100 years.

The sticking point goes as far back as World War I.

Armenia claims the genocide of its people was carried out by the Ottoman Empire, putting the number of dead at 1.5 million.

“May God forgive me but I cannot and will not forgive and forget until the Turkish government accepts the fact of genocide and offers us a simple apology. It’s not about compensation and it’s not about lands,” says historian Sergey Kalendzhyan.

Turkey says the figure is exaggerated, claiming around 300,000 died, and those were casualties of war. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish Prime Minister, said: “Our society and our culture have never embraced anything resembling the concept of genocide. It is impossible to force us to accept allegations of genocide as a result of behind the scenes lobbying efforts in the parliaments of various countries.”
 
Many historians agree that the actions of the Ottoman Empire could be interpreted as genocide and 21 governments have recognised the atrocities as well, including Russia, Germany and France.

The claims have also hampered Turkey’s efforts to join the EU - although the recognition of genocide isn't a condition, there have been numerous calls for it.

But Turkey remains adamant that those deaths were all war casualties and although it recognised Armenia's independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the two countries have never established diplomatic ties.

A range of other issues, such as Armenia's armed conflict with Turkish ally Azerbaijan over the ethnic enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, have also strained ties and eventually led to the closing of the 330 km border between the two countries in 1993.

But now it’s hoped football might help relations improve. Turks are enjoying several days of visa free entry to Armenia in order to attend the football match.

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