UNITED NATIONS, October 11 - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hailed the signing of two protocols aimed at normalizing the relations between Armenia and Turkey and expressed hope that both protocols will be swiftly ratified.
"The secretary-general welcomes the signing today in Zurich of the two protocols aimed at normalizing the relations between Armenia and Turkey," a statement, issued by Ban's spokesperson, said.
"This historic decision constitutes a milestone toward the establishment of good neighborly relations and the development of bilateral cooperation between both countries," the statement said. "The secretary-general is confident that this development will also contribute to peace, security and stability in the South Caucasus."
The historic accords restoring diplomatic relations and opening borders between the two countries were signed in Zurich by the Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers at a ceremony attended by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, Slovenian Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar, and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
The agreement is still to be ratified by the Turkish and Armenian parliaments amid continued fierce opposition from nationalist parties in both countries.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in a show of support for Muslim ally Azerbaijan, following a bloody conflict over Nagorny Karabakh between the two ex-Soviet republics. Turkey has also demanded that Yerevan drop its campaign to have the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915 internationally recognized as genocide.
Armenia and Turkey agreed to a "roadmap" to normalize their relations under Swiss mediation this April. The draft pact between the countries has been backed by the United States and European Union.
Nagorny Karabakh, a region in Azerbaijan with a largely Armenian population, has been a source of conflict between the former Soviet republics since the late 1980s. The province has its own government and is de facto independent.
During his recent international visit, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan met with representatives of Armenian diasporas in different countries, and many of them expressed their opposition to the signing of a Turkish-Armenian agreement.
