Turkey, Armenia agree to establish diplomatic ties

Turkey and Armenia agreed Monday to establish diplomat relations, overcoming a seemingly intractable rift that dates to the early 20th century and was marked by massacres of Armenians under Ottoman rule.

The neighboring countries, which agreed to restart negotiations after mediation from Switzerland, would be setting up and developing relations for the first time, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Burak Ozugergin said. He said the upcoming talks should last about six weeks, he said. The issue is a major stumbling block to Turkey's aspirations to join the European Union and has strained ties with the United States, with both pressuring Turkey to recognize the killings as genocide.

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