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Turkey-Armenia relations boosted by president's historic trip

Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic ties and remain deeply divided over the World War I deaths of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire, the predecessor of Turkey. Their border has also been closed for more than a decade.

"I believe my visit has demolished a psychological barrier in the Caucauses," Gul was quoted as telling reporters on his plane while returning from his trip to Yerevan for a football match.

"If this climate continues, everything will move forward and normalise," he said, without elaborating.

Turkish and Armenian ties have for years been poisoned by Yerevan's claims that up to 1.5 million Armenians were systematically killed by Ottoman Turks between 1915-1917 when their empire was falling apart.

Turkey rejects the allegation and says that 300,000-500,000 Armenians and at least as many Turks died in civil strife when Armenians took up arms for independence in eastern Anatolia and sided with invading Russian troops.

But Gul said neither the dispute nor the closed border between the two neighbours figured in his meeting with Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian.

"He did not mention... the so-called genocide claims," Gul said.

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