The president of Turkey has completed an historic visit to neighbouring Armenia in a move that could see a thaw in relations between the two countries. Abdullah Gul travelled to Yerevan to see a World Cup football qualifier between the Turkish and Armenia
The meeting of the two presidents has been dubbed 'historic and highly symbolic'. Turkey won the game 2-0, but the score was of secondary importance. It's the first time in more than 70 years a high-ranking Turkish official has set foot in Armenia. The neighboring countries have no diplomatic ties and their shared border has been closed for fifteen years. Security was tight in the Armenian capital for the visit and thousands of protesters lined the streets demanding that Turkey admit the mass killing of Armenians in 1915. Armenia claims 1.5 million of its people were killed in a genocide carried out by the Ottoman Empire during World War One. Turkey denies the claims, saying the number of dead was closer to 300,000. It also says those killed were war casualties rather than the victims of genocide.