| President Abdullah Gül is to participate in the ninth summit of the heads of state of Turkic-speaking countries, to be held in Baku on Sept. 5. In addition to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the summit’s host, presidents o f Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are also expected to participate. Gül has an official invitation to visit Turkey’s estranged neighbor Armenia the day after the summit in Baku concludes. Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan invited Gül to a World Cup qualifying match between the national soccer teams of the two countries which will be played in Yerevan on Sept. 6 and called for dialogue to help normalize ties, saying this will be mutually beneficial. Both diplomats at the Foreign Ministry and officials close to the Çankaya Presidential Palace are tight-lipped on whether Gül will honor Sarksyan’s invitation, which has led to the definition of the current state of affairs in international media as “soccer diplomacy.” Analysts say Ankara will probably announce its decision on the matter at the latest possible moment while continuing its reticence as long as possible. Sources close to Gül’s office say, however, that “Çankaya Palace’s assessment of the invitation is positive.” Turkey severed its ties and closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in protest of Armenian occupation of the Azerbaijani territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Gül recently reiterated emphasis on respect for territorial integrity, and it has been widely considered a sign that Turkey is not planning to reverse its policy on ties with Armenia any time soon unless Yerevan agrees to take a step back in the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute, despite a recent thaw in relations. “Normalization of bilateral relations with Yerevan will not only be helpful for Armenia, but will also be helpful for Turkey,” a senior Turkish diplomat recently told Today’s Zaman. “Normalization is a need not only for our landlocked neighbor in order to rid itself of its isolated situation under difficult economic conditions. Normalization is a need for us as well,” the same diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said. The Azerbaijani capital is, meanwhile, waiting for Gül’s final decision despite assurances given by Turkey that Ankara’s policy towards Yerevan has not changed. “One should not forget that we are not Armenia’s enemies despite the absence of diplomatic recognition. Almost 70,000 Armenian citizens are currently earning their livelihood in Turkey,” another diplomat also noted. | 
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