Armenian president on historic visit to Turkey

Armenian President President Serzh Sarkisian arrived in Turkey Wednesday to attend a World Cup football game as the two nations pressed ahead with efforts to overcome a bloody history.

Sarkisian flew in to the northwestern city of Bursa, just four days after Turkey and Armenia, backed by world powers, signed milestone deals aimed at ending decades of hostility and establishing formal ties.

Greeted at the airport by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Sarkisian smiled as he watched a brief performance by Turkish folk dancers.

Two former Armenian heads of state have visited Turkey in the past for international gatherings, but Sarkisian will be the first to come on a bilateral occasion.

The outcome of the World Cup qualifier on Wednesday evening is of no significance as both Armenia and Turkey are already out of the running for the 2010 finals, but the political stakes are high.

Wary that nationalist fans may spoil what is intended to be a show of bridge-building between Sarkisian and his host, Turkish President Abdullah Gul, the authorities have imposed stringent security measures and tough rules for spectators during the match.

Gul and Sarkisian were to hold talks and dine together before watching the match, together with UEFA President Michel Platini. A reception was to follow the game before Sarkisian flies back home.

The two nations have been estranged since World War I when, Armenians say, 1.5 million of their kin were killed by their Ottoman rulers in what was a genocide, a label Turkey fiercely rejects.

Swiss-mediated talks between Turkey and Armenia since August 2007 resulted Saturday in the signing of two protocols that pave the way for establishing official relations and opening the border between the two countries.

The deals still need parliamentary ratifications to take effect and the process is certain to be uphill as nationalists in both countries are opposed to the terms of the reconciliation.

For many Turks, fence-mending with Armenia amounts to selling out Azerbaijan, one of Ankara's closest allies, whose conflict with Armenia over the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region had led Turkey in 1993 to seal its border with Armenia.

Turkish officials have banned fans from chanting political slogans at the match and made it clear that the display of Azeri flags would be unwelcome, putting some 3,000 police on duty for the game.

In addition, plain clothes security officers have been assigned to sit among spectators in the stands to prevent any disturbance.

Ticket sales have been restricted, with most distributed to students of military academies, police and their families, according to media reports.

President Gul has met with leaders of fans groups to personally ask them not to overshadow the game and return the "hospitality" with which he himself was greeted when he travelled to Yerevan in September for the first-leg match.

In a gesture to their Armenian guests, the fans were expected to greet them in the stadium by singing a folk song about a blonde lover, which is popular in both Turkey and Armenia.

In a public appeal Tuesday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged fans to show hospitality and not give in to possible provocations.

He also renewed calls on Armenia to make peace with Azerbaijan over Nagorny Karabakh to make it easier for his government to move on the parliamentary ratification of the reconciliation deals.

Armenia however rejects any link between ties with Turkey and the conflict over Nagorny Karabakh.