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Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Turkey and Armenia will sign two Protocols to normalize their relations 11 October at a ceremony in Switzerland, but details have not yet been released by the Swiss government, which has acted as mediator in the lengthy process. The Swiss federal government announced 1 September that the two countries had initialed two Protocols and were starting six-week internal consultations on these: “Protocol on the establishment of diplomatic relations” and the “Protocol on the development of bilateral relations.” The Protocols must still be ratified by the parliaments of both countries.

The ceremony will be brief, with the parties shaking hands and signing the Protocols.

Turkish publication Today’s Zaman reports the Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoğlu as saying he hopes Armenia’s president, Serge Sargsyan, will attend the 14 October World Cup football qualifying match without conditions. Sargsyan has previously said he will go if he sees progress towards opening the border between the two countries. Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul in September 2008 traveled to Armenia to watch a football match, a step considered positive by both countries. Armenians later complained that their president could not reciprocate because Turkey had not yet opened the border from its side.

Links to other sites: Huliq News, Wikipedia on Turkish-Armenian relations,