Armenia and Turkey sign accord normalising relations

This is a historic accord after more than a century of hostility. Not surprisingly many Armenians are not satisfied. However, normalising relations seems better than continuing in an insoluble standoff on the issue of Turkish genocide in Armenia and in the agreement this issue is still addressed to some extent. This is one situation in which the Obama administration has advanced peaceful resolution of conflicts. Both the parliaments of Armenia and Turkey need to ratify the agreement and it remains to be seen what will happen there. These excerpts are from BBC.

Armenia and Turkey normalise ties
Turkey and Armenia have signed a historic accord normalising relations after a century of hostility.

The deal was signed by the two foreign ministers after last-minute problems delayed the ceremony in Switzerland.

Under the agreement, Turkey and Armenia are to resume diplomatic ties and re-open their shared border.

The accord has been met by protests in Armenia, where many people say it does not fully address the 1915 killing of hundreds of thousands of Armenians.

Armenia wants Turkey to recognise the killings as an act of genocide, but successive Turkish governments have refused to do so.

The agreement calls for a joint commission of independent historians to study the genocide issue.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and his Armenian counterpart, Edward Nalbandian, signed the protocols in Switzerland after a delay of more than three hours.

The Obama administration had been pressing the parties to reach agreement.

The ceremony was attended by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as well as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrovand the EU's High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana.

The accord needs to be ratified by the parliaments of both Armenia and Turkey.