Armenia Prepares for World Cup Qualifier Against Turkey

Yerevan's Hrazdan Soccer Stadium has begun preparations for the Armenia-Turkey World Cup qualifying game scheduled for September 6.

Hrazdan press secretary Tamara Sarkisian, told Armenpress that the repair of the stadium proceeds in line with the schedule of works. She said the stadium, built forty years ago, will be remodeled into a contemporary sporting facility, but its major architectural characteristics will remain unchanged.

The major reconstruction is being carried out together with a German company and the stadium will have all its outdated infrastructures replaced.

She also said seismologists had made a careful examination of the structure's quake resistance and everything was normal.

Armenia invites Turkish president to football match

Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan has invited his Turkish counterpart to visit Yerevan for a football match in September, marking a shift in relations between the two states which have no diplomatic ties.

"Gül’s historical opportunity at hand
by
GÖKHAN BACIK

President Abdullah Gül should go and watch the soccer game in Yerevan-Armenia. This visit will serve as a historical threshold in Turkish-Armenian relations thanks to the symbolic meanings that it will inherently have and generate in later stages.
What needs to be remembered is this: If the countries are unable to get together even for a soccer game, it means that the meaning of not only politics but also life itself has been eroded.

The Armenian administration's invitation extended to President Abdullah Gül to watch a soccer game between Armenia and Turkey to be played in Yerevan is an important opportunity in all respects. The invitation may initiate a process that will provide important opportunities for Turkey. President Gül will assume a historical responsibility by making a decision on whether to accept or reject the invitation. Gül's acceptance of the invitation to watch a soccer game in Yerevan will undoubtedly cause a historical breakthrough in relations between Turkey and Armenia.

First of all, heading to Yerevan to watch a soccer game is not something that can be criticized or at the very least attracts little criticism. Sports is the most innocent and uncontroversial issue when compared to other matters in bilateral relations. President Gül will not go to Yerevan to sign a strategic agreement or to pursue cooperation in the energy field. President Gül's visit has one specific, simple and functional goal: to watch a soccer game. Besides, is there anything more natural than for a president to watch a game being played by the national team? The president is the highest-level representative of the nation. It does not seem possible to think that a Turkish president should go to Yerevan for a reason that is as nearly as natural and undisputable as watching a soccer game. Therefore, the national soccer game has become a very important opportunity. The game offers the opportunity of getting together in a political platform to both parties.

Secondly, with this visit, Turkey will take the initiative on the global platform in regards to Turkish-Armenian relations. Turkey used to look as if it was an actor that took only the second steps and was unable to determine the process in a number of issues, including the Cyprus issue, a territorial conflict between the Republic of Cyprus and Turkey over the island. However, Turkish foreign policy has become a determinative actor recently in those issues. Turkey has become a country that is able to offer new alternatives and proposals which shake the status quo and fulfill these alternatives. This transformation has changed Turkey's policies towards Greece, Syria and the EU, making the country a truly regional power. This also applies to relations with Armenia. Turkey has gotten rid of its longstanding ineptness by which it used to defend itself all the time. President Gül's acceptance of the invitation to watch the soccer game in Yerevan will be a strong contribution to this process. In this way, Turkey will reinforce its image as a country that is eager to resolve its problems rather than generate problems. Turkey will be perceived in the world as an actor that is ready to confront with and resolve the problems.

Thirdly, Turkey's democratization is closely related to its integration with the international system. One of the tools which the circles uneasy with Turkey's democratization rely on is to keep the country isolated from the system. For the masses, which hold a rigid view inclusive of an anti-EU stance, opposition to foreign capital, strong emphasis on preservation of status quo in Cyprus, this isolation provides a fertile political environment. To create a Turkey disintegrated with the world is the biggest desire of the circles opposed to democracy. This will further generate an environment for that country where the mafia, gangs and crime organizations such as Ergenekon will be influential. Causing serious troubles through issues like Cyprus and Armenia and subsequently exploiting these issues to ensure Turkish people's disintegration with the world is the political goal of these circles. For this reason, the political elites seeking democratization have to deal with issues such as the Armenian question and Cyprus, issues which have turned Turkey into an insular nation. From this perspective, Turkey's attempt to normalize its relations with Armenia is vital for Turkey's internal transformation. The logic behind the murder of renowned Armenian intellectual by gangs that have different considerations in Turkey should be read well. From this perspective, President Gül's visit to Yerevan to watch a game will have a huge psychological impact on such groups.

Another important issue is the importance of this issue for the Armenians living in Turkey. There is a small Armenian population in Turkey, yet this small group is important in terms of our historical inheritance. No matter what, Armenians are part of our history. However, Armenians remained silent because they were intimidated by growing nationalism and sometimes had to leave Turkey, their home for centuries. In a country where a leader of a terror organization that kills even the babies is labeled as the "offspring of Armenians" in an attempt to insult him, they had to live as Armenians. Now, Turkey and its rulers have to remember this. The system called Turkey has to belong to Armenians on equal terms along with everybody else, including the president. If President Gül goes to Yerevan to watch the soccer game, he will make contribution to the lives of Armenians in Turkey who suffered a great deal in their daily lives. From this perspective, President Gül has to consider the daily concerns and expectations of the Armenians living in Turkey in addition to the big notions like international politics, strategy and national interest when making his decision.

President Gül has to go to Yerevan to watch the soccer game. This visit will be a historical turning point in Turkish-Armenian relations because of the symbolic meanings it inherently has and will subsequently generate."