Mark Toner, the spokesman for the Bureau of European & Eurasian Affairs of the U.S. Department of State said the United States welcomes Turkish President Abdullah Gul's accepting an invitation of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to watch a World Cup qualifier in the Armenian capital of Yerevan.

Toner said the United States is appreciating the courage of the two presidents to take steps in order to foster regional peace and prosperity.

The spokesman expressed his country's hope that the historic meeting would be a step for totally normalizing Turkish-Armenian relations, Anatolian news agency reports.