Here at U.S. Democrazy, we love to play games. Our editors play basketball with a trash can and our articles, and we compete to see who can eat the most donuts in a minute. Some call it childish, but it turns out that sports can bring people together!
Take old enemies Turkey and Armenia.
The president of Armenia, Serge Sarkisian, recently went to Turkey to watch the two countries battle it out on the soccer field (or football field, as our Europeans friends call it).
The soccer is huge in the two countries and the match could have been an excuse for another bitter battle between the two rivals.
Instead the game created an opening…
Before the game, Sarkisian and Abdullah Gul, the president of Turkey, met for dinner. This was a big deal (not the eating… but the meeting!)
Turkey and Armenia have not gotten along for a long time now.
There is a long standing ( 95 years long!) animosity between the two countries. Armenia claims there was a ‘Genocide’ of its citizens by the Turks, an event which Turkey refuses to acknowledge.
In another dispute in 1993, Turkey closed its border with Armenia because Armenian rebels seized control of a region of Azerbaijan, an ally of Turkey.
Though the two countries still have a lot to work out, everyone is hoping this is the beginning of improved relations.
After all, it worked for the U.S. and China. Once during the Cold War the two giants were giant enemies. However, that all changed…When?After China invited the US to send a ping pong team to visit and compete!
