Turkish expert: Gul did his best to thaw ice between Armenia and Turkey

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey and Armenia took a step to normalize relations after long years of dispute, a Turkish Professor said.



"Though some political parties and politicians strongly opposed President Gul traveling to Yerevan, both the government and the president did their best to thaw the ice between the two countries. Gul's visit to Armenia was met with satisfaction by the Turkish nation. To me, this visit may be a turning point in Turkish-Armenian relations," Ozer Sencar said.



"Our people are tired of disputes with Armenia, which are of no benefit to Turkey. We have had an ongoing debate with Armenia for 80 years. People don't want events dating back to the Ottoman times to affect their lives any longer. This is why they attach such great importance to Gul's visit to Yerevan," he added.



Professor Eser Karakas, a columnist for the Star daily, said the visit was a huge step toward resolution of problems between the two neighbors.



"This is a significant step of goodwill. It would be great if both countries reinforced this step with similar ones in the future. It may not solve all problems between Turkey and Armenia but may at least help Turkey open its border with its neighbor," he said, adding, "People of the two countries do not miss an opportunity to say that they don't have any problems with each other. It is the states which have problems," Today's Zaman reports.