BarcelonaIn September 2008, then Turkish President Abdullah Gül accepted the invitation of Armenian President Serj Sargsian to witness live at the Hrazdan Stadium in Yerevan a qualifying match for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Gül thus became the first leader of Turkey to visit Armenia, two states that until then had no diplomatic relationship. In fact, neither had an embassy open in the capital of the neighboring country. Now the two teams meet again this Saturday (6 p.m.) in qualifying matches for the European Cup, right at a time of maximum tension due to the situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Football helps to create bridges where politics does not always reach. In fact, the relations between these two states have only progressed when there have been great misfortunes or football matches. The spokesman of the Turkish Parliament, in fact, has already admitted: “We are ready to resume football diplomacy.”
Football, the secret weapon to solve one of the most complex diplomatic conflicts on the planet
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