"I wish that the match to be played today will help the lifting of obstacles that prohibit closeness between the two peoples that share common history and will contribute to regional friendship and peace." -- Abdullah Gul, President of Turkey
Turkey scored two goals (Tuncay 61st min., and Semih 79th) against Armenia in the second half to win its first match of the World Cup 2010 qualifiers 2-0.
Returning the favor, Abdullah Gul invited the Armenian President to watch the rematch in Turkey (rematch ended with the same score 2-0). Wouldn't it be great if the Turkish people, including its Armenian citizens, all show up in support of Armenia, wearing 'We Are All Armenians' shirts, as they did immediately following Hrant Dink's murder.
Time to rise to the occasion. What do you think?
The sports diplomacy, as was the earthquake diplomacy between Greece and Turkey recently, is a great excuse for the parties to start the dialogue and improve relations, and put an end to the stalemate of ridiculousness once and for all.
It's interesting that the 'Islamist' Gul is the one who is favoring reaching out, while Deniz Baykal, the leader of the opposition party founded by Ataturk himself, is not shy to voice his opposition. It should also be noted that Gul is the President of Turkey, and does not necessarily only represent the party he's been a member of (currently in power thanks to a landslide victory), possibly as a direct result of Baykal's continued stubbornness when it comes to opposing [just about everything] just for the sake of opposition.
