Obama did not use the G-word, now what?

For many years Armenians living in landlocked Armenia chose to work in Turkey by legal or illegal means and often mentioned their desire for the border to open. Now there is a realistic hope that the border, which was closed in 1993 due to the confrontation between Azerbaijan and Armenia, is going to open soon.

However, there is one other side of the argument. Azerbaijan, a long time ally of Turkey is burning with anger. Azeri media published news stories accusing Turkey of "slamming and injuring their brother". Musavat, the best selling newspaper in the country published a commentary with the following criticism: "Turkey's President, Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Parliamentary Speaker, all the diplomats assured Azerbaijan that no agreement will be reached with Armenia, until there is a concrete step for the solution of Nagorno-Karabakh problem. And then, what? One midnight we learn that Turkey and Armenia secretly agreed to normalize relations via a road map. Is this what one brother treats the other one?"

After the news broke about the Turkish flag-burning incidents in Yerevan, there was also anger in Turkish side too. In the nearest city to the border, Igdir, there were Azeri and Turkish flags side by side in every window. Azerbaijan president Ilham Aliev who declined to go to the Alliance of Civilizations summit in Turkey two weeks ago, again skipped another international energy forum in Bulgaria yesterday. This was considered as a move to snub Abdullah Gül, who was representing Turkey at the summit. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan is due to Azeri capital Baku on 30 April due to Turkish government sources.

Obama did not use the G-word and it is a good thing for both Turkey and Armenia to reach a comprehensive solution. But there are serious steps to go in the bumpy road ahead. Some will be unhappy about it. But that's the way diplomacy works.

Ugur Kocbas is the Foreign News Editor of Turkish daily newspaper Vatan. ukocbas@gazetevatan.com