The Turkish President Abdullah Gul arrived in the Armenian capital Yerevan, the first time a Turkish head of state has visited the country. Mr. Gul was there to attend a soccer match he said could help end almost a century of mutual hostility and aid security in the broader Caucasus region.
土耳其总统居尔抵达亚美尼亚首都埃里温，这是土耳其国家元首第一次访问亚美尼亚。居尔到埃里温观看一场足球赛，居尔认为这场比赛有助于结束这两个国家将近一个世纪的敌对状态，促进大高加索地区的安全。
Turkish President Abdullah Gul's jet arrived in Armenia on this historical visit escorted by attack helicopters. Police and demonstrators lined the traffic-free streets as his motorcade sped through downtown Yerevan.
土耳其总统居尔乘坐的喷气客机在武装直升机的护航下抵达亚美尼亚，开始了他对亚美尼亚具有历史意义的访问。居尔的车队疾驶过埃里温市中心时，街上的车辆停驶，警察和示威者站在街道两旁。
Ankara and Yerevan have no diplomatic ties but a relationship haunted by the question of whether ethnic Armenians killed by Ottoman Turks during World War One were victims of systematic genocide.
安卡拉和埃里温之间没有外交关系，第一次世界大战期间奥托曼帝国土耳其人杀害的亚美尼亚人是否属于有组织的种族清洗的受害者，这个问题一直笼罩着双方的关系。
The director of Armenia's National Genocide Museum, Hayk Demoyan, hailed Mr. Gul's visit, saying this could be a positive step in talking about the issue of genocide.
亚美尼亚全国种族清洗博物馆馆长德穆瓦扬对居尔来访表示欢迎，他说，这次访问可能成为讨论种族清洗问题的积极的一步。
"Armenians fighting for genocide recognition and for restoring the rights of the survivors and descendants of the survivors is just part of the global movement of prevention. So this is not anti-Turkish or something against Turkish people," said Demoyan. "We also realize that there a lot of problems in public memory and national memory of Turkey and Turkish people. That's why this is a matter of two people. We have to talk, we have to agree, we have to negotiate."
德穆瓦扬说：“亚美尼亚人争取让这次种族清洗获得承认，争取恢复幸存者以及他们后代的各种权利，这只是全球性制止种族清洗运动的一个组成部分。因此，这并不是反土耳其或者想跟土耳其人民作对。我们还认识到，在土耳其和土耳其人民的记忆里存在很多问题。因此这是两国人民的事。我们必须讨论，必须取得共识，必须磋商。”
But the controversy continues to fuel nationalist anger in both countries.
不过，这场争议仍然给这两个国家的民族主义者提供了愤怒理由。
President Gul was strongly criticized for agreeing to visit Armenia by both the main Turkish opposition parties, who accused him of betraying Turkey and its close ally Azerbaijan. Armenia is occupying a region of Azerbaijani territory, which has resulted in Turkey enforcing a trade embargo against Armenia since 1993, crippling the Armenian economy.
由于居尔总统同意访问亚美尼亚，土耳其两个主要反对党都对他提出强烈批评，指责他背叛土耳其及其亲密的盟友阿塞拜疆。亚美尼亚目前占领着阿塞拜疆的一个地区，土耳其因此从1993年开始对亚美尼亚实施贸易禁运，给亚美尼亚经济造成重大损失。
In Yerevan, reaction to Mr. Gul's visit is mixed.
在埃里温，对居尔的访问反应各异。
This man says Mr. Gul's visit is of no importance. He says his team will win in any case. He says he would like Mr. Gul to leave Armenia in a bad mood, but only because his team has lost the game.
一名男子说，居尔的访问无足轻重。他说，亚美尼亚足球队无论如何都会胜利。他表示希望居尔带着坏心情离开亚美尼亚，但仅仅是因为土耳其队输了。
Another man has a more positive view.
另一名男子对居尔访问亚美尼亚的态度比较积极。
He says he thinks that the meeting of the two presidents will discuss problems which may help to normalize the Armenian-Turkish relationship.
这个男子说，他认为两国总统会晤会讨论一些问题，或许有助于两国关系正常化。
Turkish diplomatic sources have played down any expectations of a breakthrough in bilateral relations. But experts say if Mr. Gul's visit passes off smoothly, it's real success can be that it will open the door to future dialogue.
土耳其外交消息人士对于有关双边关系会出现突破的猜测不予置评。不过有关专家指出，如果居尔的访问顺利，那么这次访问真正的成功之处就在于为以后的对话打开了大门。 |