Can a football game change the history of a region? The luck of the draw put Turkey and Armenia in the same qualifying group for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The countries had been locked in enmity since the 1990s, and the matches promised merely more of the same - should they be played at all.

Yet, for some time, leaders in both countries had been quietly moving toward a more constructive relationship. They took the opportunity of the first game, played in September 2008, to signal a thawing in bilateral relations. Turkish President Abdullah Gül went to Yerevan for the match, making him the first Turkish head of state to visit Armenia since the country’s independence from the Soviet Union.

In the months that followed, the momentum gathered pace; Turkey and Armenia may be on the verge of a major breakthrough. The border between the two countries, which has been closed for a decade and a half, may soon re-open. The 2008 war in Georgia gave additional stimulus to reconciliation by showing that the region’s conflicts may not always stay frozen. Although the situation is still fragile, political leaders in Armenia and Turkey are showcasing how a more open Caucasus region may be created.

What would an opening mean for the two countries? What has made the rapprochement possible? How have political leaders handled the delicate process? What are the implications for the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh? How will Azerbaijan react? What are the implications for relations between Europe and the South Caucasus, between Turkey and the rest of Europe?

This dossier combines expert analyses and interviews with political leaders to give a deeper insight into a complex region, and examples of how conflicts can be resolved peacefully.

Ulrike Dufner, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Derneği Türkiye Temsilciliği
Iris Kempe, Heinrich Böll Foundation Southern Caucasus

 

Turkish-Armenian Normalisation and “Great Power Politics” – 20. Mai 2009 - Turkey’s engagement of Armenia represents only one element of a more ambitious Turkish agenda. Turkey is now pursuing a new policy of deepening its ties to not only the countries of the Caucasus, but also of including the countries of Central Asia By Richard Giragosian more»

“Nationalism is Waning Rapidly”. Interview With Etyen Mahçupyan – 20. Mai 2009 - - Etyen Mahçupyan, is a Turkish-Armenian journalist and writer. Since 2007 he has been the editor-in-chief of Agos, the Armenian community's weekly newspaper. In this interview he discusses the perspectives for Turkish-Armenian relations, the implications for the Caucasus, and his work for the Hrant Dink Foundation more»

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Armenian Foreign Policy and the Rapprochement with Turey – 13. Mai 2009 - Opening the Armenian-Turkish border and establishing diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey will fundamentally change the relationship between all countries in the Black Sea and Caspian regions, as well as between the great powers for which the region is an area of vital importance By David Hovhannisyan more»

Armenian Domestic Policies and the Rapprochement with Turkey – 13. Mai 2009 - - Within Armenian political elites there is little to no opposition to rapprochement with Turkey. Many windows in Yerevan offer a good view of Turkey, and most Armenians realise that it is neither normal nor desirable to have two out of four land borders sealed By Alexander Iskandaryan more»