Babacan: Gul's attendance in Armenia depends on developments between two countries

July 16, 2008 - 20:06 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkish President Abdullah Gul's attendance at a soccer match in Armenia will depend on developments between the two countries, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said Wednesday.



Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has invited Gul to visit Yerevan for a soccer match in September, marking a shift in relations between two states which have no diplomatic ties.

"Such a participation would depend on the developments ahead of the match," Babacan said, without giving further details, Reuters reports.



Armenia and Turkey will play against each other in the Armenian capital Yerevan on September 6 in a qualifying match for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, scheduled to be held in South Africa.



Turkey broke diplomatic relations with Armenia over the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and closed its border with the neighbor.



"The normalization of relations with Armenia is one of Turkey's serious foreign policy goals," said Babacan.



Turkey was among the first countries that recognized Armenia's independence after fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 but denies having perpetrated Genocide against Armenians in 1915-23.
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