The icy distance between Armenia and Turkey is beginning to thaw. For one, the newly elected Armenian President Sarkissjan invited his Turkish counterpart to Erivan for a soccer world championship qualification match. Then, this summer saw diplomats from the two countries meet several times. As a sign of good will, Ankara replaced the head of the state Turkish Historical Society. The former head was vehemently opposed to acknowledging that the killing of Armenians in 1915 and 1916 was genocide. After the war in August between Russia and Georgia, Turkey now wants to found a Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform and to include the Armenians.
