Habertürk: “We await you in Bursa,” the daily reported in its top headline yesterday, saying that after the signing of a historic protocol in Zurich on Saturday which aims to end hostilities between Turkey and Armenia, Turkey is now waiting for Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan to come to a match between the national teams of Turkey and Armenia in Bursa on Wednesday. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and his Armenian counterpart, Eduard Nalbandian, signed an agreement in Zurich to launch formal ties and reopen a border closed since 1993, the daily said, noting that the protocol will come into force after it is signed an approved by the parliaments of both countries. The border with Armenia will be opened within two months, the daily said.Yeni Şafak: “We apologize for the closed shutters,” said the headline of a front-page article in the daily yesterday, which quoted remarks from Diyarbakır Mayor Osman Baydemir. Baydemir said it was not appropriate for Diyarbakır shop owners to shut their shops in protest of Interior Minister Beşir Atalay's visit to the province. Atalay paid a visit to the southeastern provinces of Diyarbakır, Şırnak and Mardin over the weekend to inform the public about the government's initiative aiming to solve the Kurdish problem. “This period is an opportunity. If we cannot solve the Kurdish problem now, circumstances may get more difficult in the region,” Atalay said.
Bugün: In its main story yesterday, the daily said, “Silent signature for peace,” reporting that a diplomatic crisis had erupted on Saturday when Turkey and Armenia were about to take a historic step for peace after 88 years. The signing was delayed for three hours, and the crisis was overcome when planned speeches by the Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers were canceled, the daily said. The planned Armenian statement was to say that the process of normalization was not linked to Nagorno-Karabakh, while the wording of the Turkish statement concerned an “overall Caucasus peace process,” it added.
