Turkey: Soccer Diplomacy Plays Out During Turkish-Armenian Cup Qualifier

The Turkish and Armenian national teams met for a World Cup qualifier on October 14. The outcome on the field turned out to be of secondary importance to the action in the stands. Turkish President Abdullah Gul and his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan watched the match from a VIP box, hoping to boost a reconciliation initiative to end almost a century of enmity between the two nations. Turkish fans, meanwhile, were generally upbeat about the rapprochement, but that didn't stop some from trying to show solidarity with Turkey's ally Azerbaijan.

The game itself, played in the city of Bursa, was meaningless for World Cup qualifying purposes. Both Turkey and Armenia had no shot at securing a spot in the finals, to be held in 2010 in South Africa. With nothing riding on the final score but bragging rights, many fans focused on the political significance of the occasion.

Outside the stadium before the match, most fans questioned by a EurasiaNet correspondent endorsed the Turkish government's efforts to forge a lasting peace with Armenia. Relations between the neighboring nations have been marked by hostility since 1915, when Ottoman Turkish forces ethnically cleansed Armenians. An estimated 1.5 million Armenians perished in the process. Since gaining independence in 1991, Armenia has sought to have the mass killings recognized internationally as genocide. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

"It's been too long -- 95 years, we must be friends," said one fan, Sener Arsenu, referring to the reconciliation process. "There will be no violence today."

There was a heavy police presence in Bursa on game day. About 2,000 security personnel were deployed inside the stadium, which had a capacity of 20,000. The game ended in a 2-0 win for Turkey.

Dozens of fans tried to enter the stadium carrying Azerbaijani flags, intending to wave them during the game as a sign of solidarity with Turkey's strategic ally. But the banners were confiscated by security agents at checkpoints around the stadium. A central aspect of the reconciliation protocols signed on October 10 calls for the reopening of the Turkish-Armenian border. Ankara sealed the border in 1993 in a gesture of support for Azerbaijan, which at the time was at war with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh territory.

Azerbaijan and Armenia are still trying to negotiate a lasting peace settlement to end the Karabakh conflict. Officials in Baku have expressed concern that the Turkish-Armenian reconciliation effort will leave Yerevan less inclined to make compromises in Karabakh negotiations. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

President Sargsyan arrived in the Turkish city of Bursa earlier on October 14. Before the game he held talks with Turkish leaders, including Gul, and attended a banquet. After the game, Gul and Sargsyan were due to attend a reception.

Back in Yerevan, officials said October 13 that they favored the speedy implementation of provisions outlined in the protocols. Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharian said that the parliaments of both countries should not let ratification of the agreements linger. "The entire international community expects [the agreements to be ratified within] reasonable time period," Kocharian said during a news conference on October 13, the Kavkazsky Uzel news service reported.