ISTANBUL: The first tentative steps towards healing generations of bitterness between Turkey and Armenia will take place in a football stadium in Yerevan on Saturday when the two nations meet in a World Cup qualifier watched by their respective presidents.

In what has been termed “football diplomacy,” Turkey’s President, Abdullah Gul, will attend the match after accepting an invitation from his Armenian counterpart, Serge Sarkisian, in an attempt to kick-start relations between the two neighbours, who do not have diplomatic ties.

An estimated 5,000 Turkish fans are also expected in Yerevan, Armenia’s capital, after the Armenian authorities waived normal visa controls for the match in a goodwill gesture.

The presence of a large travelling army of supporters has provoked fears of violent clashes with Armenian nationalists, who have vowed to demonstrate against Gul’s visit, the first to Armenia by a modern Turkish head of state.

In a sign of the political sensitivity, Gul only confirmed on Wednesday evening that he would make the trip, ending speculation that had been growing since the invitation was sent in July.

A carefully worded statement from his office said that the occasion had “meaning beyond being just a sporting event.” It added: “The visit held in the context of a match will contribute to the creation of a climate of friendship in the region. The match will be an opportunity to overcome obstacles and prepare a new ground to bring the two people together.”

The presidents are expected to watch side-by-side after discussions on a catalogue of issues that evoke emotion, mistrust and vast differences in perception.

Ankara and Yerevan have long been at odds over Turkey’s refusal to accept as genocide the deaths of up to 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of Ottoman troops during the First World War. Turkey insists that far fewer died, and that many of the deaths were caused by starvation and disease, but proposes establishing a joint historical commission to examine the issue.

Despite that longstanding disagreement, Turkey was among the first countries to recognise Armenia’s independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. But formal relations were subsequently frozen when Armenia occupied the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region following a war with Azerbaijan, Turkey’s close ally. Turkey also resents Armenian territorial claims on its eastern borders.—Dawn/The Guardian News Service