Soccer diplomacy's goal

THE DECISION of Turkey's president, Abdullah Gul, to accept an invitation from Armenia to attend last Saturday's soccer game between the two national teams could open a welcome new chapter in relations between the historically hostile nations. For Turkey, a more normalized relationship with Armenia can only strengthen its bid to bring stability to a region unsettled by the Russia-Georgia conflict. For Armenia, better ties with its large neighbor to the west could improve dismal economic conditions in the landlocked former Soviet republic.

President Gul's acceptance of the invitation to Yerevan signals his government's confidence in taking on a diplomatic role in the region that befits its economic and strategic importance. Turkish officials have been serving as go-betweens for talks between Israel and Syria.

Turkey and Armenia have not had normal diplomatic relations since 1993 when Armenia occupied a largely Armenian part of Azerbaijan called Nagorno-Karabakh. Another sticking point is Armenia's insistence that Turkey acknowledge the genocide of about 1.5 million Armenian residents of Turkey during World War I. Turkey disputes the number and circumstances of the Armenian deaths.

Predictably, Turkish opposition parties, especially nationalists, criticized Gul's decision. But even opponents of Gul and his moderate Islamic party will have to temper their views if the talks lead to a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh deadlock. According to Turkey's prime minister, Tayyip Erdogan, Azerbaijan has no problems with the meeting between Gul and Armenia's president, Serzh Sarksyan. The real soccer winners could turn out to be advocates of reconciliation in this volatile corner of the globe.