Turkish President to visit Switzerland, which recognizes Armenian Genocide

Turkish President Abdullah Gul leaves for a state visit to Switzerland at the end of this week. Swiss President Doris Leuthard said that the decision whom to invite is of strategic importance for the country, recalling that only two presidents are received at state level each year, News.am reports.

Relations between the two states deteriorated after 2003, when the lower house of the Swiss parliament recognized the Armenian Genocide. Ankara even cancelled a visit by the Swiss Foreign Minister to Turkey. However, relations improved in 2005, after a visit by the Turkish Foreign Minister to Switzerland. .

As NEWS.am reported earlier, Switzerland was a mediator in the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations. The protocols were signed on October 1 in Zurich. The protocols have not been ratified so far,
due to preconditions set by Ankara.

Early this month Doris Leuthard expressed hope that the Armenian-Turkish dialogue would continue.